


HetaOni

by FireFly18



Category: HetaOni, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, BoyxBoy, Eventual Sex, Gen, HetaOni - Freeform, Hetalia, M/M, Magic, Romance, Sacrifice, Time Travel, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-08 21:42:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 53,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15252636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireFly18/pseuds/FireFly18
Summary: An expanded version of the game we all know, and we all cry for. This version involves romance, drama, tears, violence, and all of the parts everyone loves about HetaOni





	1. Entering

**Author's Note:**

> A deserted house in the mountains about three hours on foot from the world summit place. No one knows how long it has been there or who used to live in it. Rumors said that it was… haunted.

A deserted house in the mountains about three hours on foot from the world summit place. No one knows how long it has been there or who used to live in it. Rumors said that it was… haunted.

Four figures approached a large mansion hidden deep within the woods, looking incredibly old, yet well kept despite the age. The four looked up, each with a varying sense of awe or interest.  
“Ve~ it’s really here!” the Italian, Feliciano, piped up, cutting through the silence in the air. The Japanese man, Kiku, tilted his head in curiosity, almost trying to make sure he was not seeing things.  
“I thought it was just a rumor. I never thought we would actually find it…” he trailed as he looked around the property. The Prussian man in the group, Gilbert, grinned as he stepped forward, listing to the quiet air around them.  
“It has such a desolate feel… Not bad.” he said smiling back at the group, holding his hands on his hips as his chest puffed out, trying to seem bigger than the German that had held back some from the building.  
“I don’t think it’s very interesting, though.” the German, Ludwig, said shaking his head, staying back. He seemed perturbed by the entire location. Kiku shook his head. “Me neither. Can't we just look at it from the outside and then go back?” he asked looking to the group. Feliciano pouted in disappointment.  
“Aww… After all the trouble we had to find it? C'mon, let's just go in for a little while!” he said as he and Gilbert started off towards the mansion. Ludwig sighed and looked to Kiku, hoping for an excuse to leave. Instead, Kiku shrugged and followed them. Ludwig frowned and he sighed heavily before following them.

The front door creaked ominously as Gilbert pushed it open. He winced at the loud sound, but stepped inside anyways. Feliciano followed him in and looked around the main entrance area. “It’s cleaner than I thought.” he said in thought, stepping in further. Ludwig shuddered as he stepped into the entrance, looking around nervously.  
“H-hey. Can we go now?” he asked, seeming to try and take up as little space as his large body could. Gilbert laughed lightly and looked back to Ludwig teasingly.  
“What’s the matter, West? You scared?” he jeered with a laugh. Before Ludwig could reply, there was a loud crash coming from down the hallway to the right of them. Feliciano shrieked and jumped onto Ludwig, clinging to the German. Gilbert quickly turned and stepped back, and Kiku looked down the hallway. Ludwig was stock still, holding Feliciano even as the silence filled the air.  
“L-Look, we really should go now.” he said quickly. Kiku sighed and his shoulders relaxed some before he turned to Ludwig. “Oh, don't be silly. It's not like there are any ghosts or anything. Where is your common sense?” he asked looking to Ludwig curiously. “I’ll go check it out.” he said turning and heading down the hallway.  
“Be careful, Kiku!” Gilbert called after him, staying with the other two.  
“I know. I'll just go and see what happened. I'll be right back.” Kiku called back as he continued walking towards the end of the hallway. There he found a door, and was surprised to find it open. He stepped in and saw what appeared to be a living room to his right with couches and a rug, and a kitchen to his left. In the kitchen he saw ceramic shards on the floor. Kiku walked over to the mess and he knelt down. “The plate is… broken. I have to be careful not to hurt myself.” he said as he picked up a large shard. He may as well bring back evidence that it was just a plate back to the others. He tucked the shard into his pocket and stood up. He then left the room and walked down the hallway to the entrance area. He was surprised when no one was there. He frowned and looked around, going back to where they were standing before. He then sighed. “Did they leave, after all? How regrettable.” he shook his head and went to the front door, reaching for the handles and tugging. He frowned at the resistance, and tugged again. “It won’t open.” he said to the open air, thinking out loud.  
Figuring they went some other place and found the door to be locked as well, Kiku headed down the left hallway, deciding to check there first. As he approached the end of the hallway, he saw a large shadow pass by a closed door. Kiku’s eyes widened, but he stayed still, figuring that staying calm was the best option. The shadow passed by and after a few moments, Kiku shook his head. “Wha… What was that, just now? I… Maybe I'm getting tired…” he mumbled as he stepped over, trying to open the door. He frowned seeing that it was locked as well. “It… won’t open.” he said in thought, frowning in confusion and slight frustration. He walked to the door next to it and tried that one. To his relief, it opened. Inside he found a bathroom. He walked up to the vanity and inspected the mirror. It was coated with a layer of dust. “The mirror is covered with dust. You can barely see yourself in it.” he observed. He then walked to the other side of the room and he found the toilet. “Just an ordinary toilet.” he said shaking his head. He then checked the cabinets in the room. “Nothing in here but dust.” he sighed lightly.  
Kiku then left the bathroom and he walked back down the hallway. He turned left after exiting the hall to find another door next to a staircase. He tried the door and found it locked as well. “It’s locked.” he said frowning. He then walked up the stairs and found a large second story. He walked left down the hallway and tried the door he found. It opened up into an empty bedroom. Finding nothing interesting, he left the room and went to the door at the other end of the hallway. It was unlocked as well and he stepped in. He was surprised to find a whip resting on the bed in the room. He went over and picked it up. “Is this not… Germany's whip? What is it doing in a place like this?” he asked to himself. He then carried the whip out and he checked the door that was next to the room. That one was locked and Kiku frowned, but said nothing.  
Walking down the other side of the second floor found two other doors, both locked. He then returned downstairs and checked the hallway he had gone down before. He found a door to the right of the room he had entered earlier and found it locked as well. He then entered the room he had gone in before and he saw a red box. He found a note on top of the box. Picking it up, Kiku read the note. The note read ‘Fix the piano, repair the toilet, leave the aid kit in the drawer on the second floor.’ Without saying anything, Kiku left the room and returned up the stairs. There had been one other door he had seen, maybe there would be answers there. He went up and back to the bedroom he had been in before in the right side of the hallway. He opened the door and went to a door in the top left corner of the room. He tried the handle and found it unlocked. He opened the door and gasped, jumping back when he saw a figure.  
“Ludwig!” he exclaimed. The German shivered, eyes wide with fear. “... Ludwig, where are the others?” Kiku asked quickly. Ludwig didn’t respond, still shivering. Kiku was silent for a moment more before he spoke. “... You look shaken. I'll go get you something to drink.” he said before he left the room quickly. He figured Ludwig would be fine for now. He quickly retreated down the stairs and went to find the kitchen. He went to the sink and turned the tap. Nothing happened. “The tap isn't working. I'll have to look for water somewhere else.” he muttered before he left the room again. He walked back to the bathroom he had been in. For a moment, he looked to the toilet. “... Well it’s water too…” he then shook his head quickly. “Let’s not be so hasty.” he said before he went to the sink. “Maybe I can get water here?” He turned the tap and a steady stream of water flowed out. “Ah, thank God. It doesn't seem to be broken.” he said as he raised the cup he had gotten from the kitchen. He filled it up. In the cup, the water had a slightly questionable color, but upon smelling it, there was no smell other than maybe some zinc, maybe there was a high supply of zinc nearby, turning the water a very slightly yellowish color. It should be fine to drink for now. He left the bathroom and he returned upstairs. He went into the room and walked up to Ludwig. “Ludwig, I brought you some water. Drink it, and try to calm down a little.” he said. He then handed the cup to the German. “Here. It's not filtered water though…” he said as Ludwig took the cup. He drank and then grimaced slightly.  
“... Is that… really water?” he asked looking to Kiku.  
“Judging by its color… probably…” Kiku said looking to the cup. Ludwig nodded slightly.  
“I see… Anyways, sorry for falling apart like that. I feel much better now thanks to you.” Kiku nodded slightly at that. “That's good to hear. So, where are the others?" he asked looking up to him. Ludwig shook his head and frowned. “I'm… not sure. At any rate, we ran for our lives… And those two went in different directions… I think. Sorry, just… give me a moment to pull myself together.” he said pinching the bridge of his nose.  
“All right. I'll go look for those two. Try to get some rest.” Kiku said nodding slightly as he stepped back.  
“Sorry… Oh by the way, I found this when I was running. Maybe it can be of some use to you?” Ludwig said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. He handed it to Kiku and the shorter man took it with a nod. Ludwig decided to stay in the closet and Kiku left the room. He went back down the stairs, remembering one room with a keyhole that could fit this key. He went back down the right hallway and turned to the door to the left of the kitchen and living room area. He tried the key and found that it worked. Stepping in, Kiku found himself in a library. As he walked in, he saw another shadow moving. He frowned and stepped forward and saw that nothing was there. Maybe he really was seeing things. He saw a table and walked over. On the table was an odd shape. Kiku reached over and lifted the object up.  
“T… This is…! An ordinary riceball!” he said in shock. Why would there be a riceball here? He frowned and then heard heavy footsteps. His eyes widened and he looked up, nearly crying out in shock when he saw a giant gray alien quickly moving towards him. Gathering himself, Kiku ran to the door and tried to open it, his stomach dropping when he realized the door was locked now. No… how was that possible?? He turned around and quickly ran around the alien. There had to be another way, there had to be! He ran to the back of the room and found himself behind a bookshelf. He turned and the alien stood before him.  
“YoU...WOn't...ESc...aPe…” the alien uttered in a low voice, the sound wavering around Kiku.  
“We shall see about that.” Kiku said drawing his katana. He would not go down without a fight. The alien rushed at him, using some otherworldly powers to shoot beams at Kiku. He deflected the attacks, and then used all of his strength to attack the beast, striking it again and again. After several tries, he was able to catch it off guard and he shoved it back, giving him enough room to escape. He ran away from the beast, and he saw something glinting on the ground. He got closer and saw that it was a key. He grabbed it and raced for the door. Before he could reach it, though, the alien appeared before him and shot another beam at him, knocking him down. Kiku jumped back up and grabbed his katana, slashing at the gray body before him. He attacked again and again, trying to beat it back. Suddenly, after one final strike, the alien fell back and vanished. Kiku stood there, huffing, trying to regain his breath. “...Wha...What on Earth was that thing!? I have to find the others as soon as possible.” he breathed before he sheathed his karana and headed for the door. He tried the key and found that it worked. He then went up the stairs and back to the room that Ludwig was in. He walked over to the closet door and before he could open it, he heard shuffling inside. “I'll leave him alone for now. I have to look for the other two.” he said quietly before he left the room. There was nothing but the sound of Kiku’s feet as he walked back down the stairs, trying to find where the other two could have hidden. He found himself back at the library and he stepped inside, looking around. After a few minutes of searching, he found another key laying on the floor. “A key? I hadn't noticed it before. Maybe that thing dropped it during our fight.” he said as he knelt down to pick it up.  
He exited the library and continued his exploring. He walked up the stairs, exploring the floors and trying the key on each door he found, only to be disappointed. Then he found himself on the fourth floor. He tried a door down the left hallway and he found that they key worked! He opened the door and was greeted with a chair room. He walked through the room and at the far right corner of the room he saw a bookshelf that looked like it had been moved from its original spot. Curious, Kiku approached and moved the bookshelf to see what it was hiding. He was surprised to find a mochi stuck in the wall. “Oh, a mochi. Are you stuck?” he asked before he tried to tug the mochi out. He grunted and gasped, finding that the mochi was still as stuck as it was before. He frowned slightly. “Ah, I can't get you out. Not like this. Poor thing… I think Ludwig might be able to get you out though. I wonder if he would come here for that?” he paused and frowned slightly in thought. “Then again, maybe I will have to get HIM out… No. Anyway, I'll ask him.” he said to himself before he left the room. He went back to the bedroom that Ludwig was hiding in. He entered the room and his eyes widened slightly when he saw a large iron door where the closet door used to be. “Wha...? Was that door here before? Or is it just my imagination? I'm sure it wasn't an iron door though… Hum… Ludwig, do you have a minute?” he asked, going closer to the door.  
“Is that you Kiku? What's the matter?” Ludwig asked through the door.  
“You see, there's this mysterious mochi stuck in a wall in a room on the fourth floor. I feel a little sorry for it, so I was wondering if you could get it out…” Kiku asked, looking to the door. He hoped that Ludwig would open the door just a bit, it was hard to hear him through the door.  
“I see, Okay, I'll go and get it out. I just have one favour to ask you, though.” Ludwig said after a moment. Kiku looked up and raised an eyebrow.  
“Sure, if it's something I can do.” he said curiously.  
“You see, when I was running, I dropped my whip. I think we should have some kind of weapon in case that thing shows up again. If it's not too much trouble, could you please look for it?” Ludwig inquired from behind the door. Kiku perked up and he took Ludwig’s whip from his belt.  
“What a coincidence! Actually, I found your whip a while ago!” he said holding it up, as if Ludwig could see it. There was silence for a moment.  
“... Oh.” Kiku frowned, Ludwig seemed disappointed by that answer. He supposed any sane person would want to delay the possibility of meeting with the thing, alien, or whatever it was, so he brushed it off.  
“Wait, I'll pass it back to you.” he said as he slid the whip through the small opening under the bottom of the door since it did not seem like Ludwig would open the door until he got it. “It was lying on the bed next door.” he said as a way of explanation.  
“Oh, I see… Hem… Thank you.” Ludwig through the door. Kiku smiled at the thanks.  
“Not at all. I only found it by chance, after all. Now let's go to the fourth f-!”  
“Ah! Kiku!! I'm sorry but…” Kiku frowned at the interruption and he sighed slightly.  
“Yes? What is it?” he asked.  
“Ah… I'm really sorry, but… Actually, I'm hungry too. Don't you have anything for me to eat?” Ludwig asked. Kiku blinked slightly, almost in disbelief. He had the rice ball… but it had been sitting out, and it was hard when he picked it up, not really suitable for eating he supposed. “To eat… I'm sorry, but I didn't bring any food with me. I don't have anything that could be used as an ingredient either…” he trailed, almost praying he would not be sent on another meaningless task.  
“I see! So, if it's not too much trouble, could you please go look for something to eat?” Kiku gaped, honestly not expecting Ludwig to actually do that.  
“Wh-what?? Th… That's impossible! How could I possibly find food in this place!?” he questioned incredulously.  
“Please! I have no strength right now. Anything is fine; just find me something, okay.” Kiku frowned and his shoulders slumped, defeated. He was in no shape to force the German out.  
“Haa… All right. I'll take another look around. I also have to look for Feliciano anyway.” he said quietly.  
“I see!! Thank you!! By the way, did you find my brother?” Ludwig asked from behind the door still.  
“No… But he should be fine. Somehow.” Kiku said frowning. Was Ludwig serious?  
“Sorry for all the trouble. Oh! By the way, take this with you.” The door opened and Ludwig’s arm stuck out, holding a bottle of beer. Kiku stared at the bottle before silently taking it. A drink?! And beer at that!  
“Ah, thank you very much. I'll be going now then.” he said almost absently, still trying to comprehend why he got a beer as Ludwig’s arm vanished back behind the door.  
“Okay, thanks.” Ludwig said from behind the door again. Kiku left and he frowned as he looked to the beer and then he pulled out the onigri. Thus far he had only seen these two as any form of sustenance in this house. Though he didn’t think the onigri could be eaten as regular food, he felt like there was an odd energy coming from it. Perhaps it was tied to the energy in this house, or what was happening. He had heard of onigri having nearly magical properties in some cases, but he thought it was just a stupid children’s tale. Perhaps he should save these? He wandered throughout the house, and then he found himself on the bottom floor bathroom. He walked through, and found himself at the toilet again. He looked to the cabinet and he frowned curiously, seeing what appeared to be a coin slot on the side. Now intrigued, he pulled out a coin he had in his pocket and he inserted it into the slot. An onigri slid out of a slot in the cabinet. Kiku’s eyes widened. “This toilet room… It seems that I can buy something from it if I insert money, somehow.” he said as he picked up the onigri. He then exited the bathroom and he looked to the side, shocked to see the door that was there now open. He frowned and stepped closer, going inside the room. “Wow, it's pitch black in here. Where is the light switch?” he muttered as he felt around for a switch. Turnin on the light revealed a typical Japanese style bathroom. He gasped, seeing the alien monster at the back of the room. Before he could move, the monster attacked. He fell back and pulled out his katana, defending himself from another attack.  
“YoU… WOn't… ESc… aPe…” the alien growled lowly as he attacked again. Kiku fought against it, grunting when a hard attack hit him and he felt pain coursing through him. He defended himself, attacking as much as he could, and then he was able to throw the alien against the wall. The alien then reached up and turned the lights off. Kiku’s eyes widened as everything went dark. Then, before he could react, the lights came back on and the monster was gone.  
“Eh!? It's gone…” he trailed, lowering his katana. He frowned. “I need to look for Feliciano. I’m worried about him.” He then spotted something glinting and he picked up another key. He stood up and winced, holding his side. “Shit…” he breathed. He then frowned, feeling a strong urge to take the onigri out of his pocket. He looked at it curiously. “No, this is stupid. Why would I need to eat it?” He frowned. “It’s just rice I suppose.” he said after a minute and he ate the onigri. Within seconds he felt his strength returning to him and his eyes widened, looking down at himself. He finished the onigri and then his side did not hurt anymore. “Incredible…” he breathed. He then went to go look at the cabinet, inserting another coin he had when he found the slot. He used his money and bought a few more onigri, and then some beer that he saw was also there. He then returned on his journey to find Feliciano and Gilbert. He walked up the stairs and he went down the hallway, looking to find where this key would fit. He came across a door at the end of the hallway and used the key, happy to see that it unlocked. He slowly opened the door and found himself in another bedroom. He stepped in and looked around. He frowned and then turned around, locking the door behind him. He may as well keep safe. If that thing was out there it would likely find him. He believed that locking the door was the safest option. He then looked around the room again. It seemed empty thus far, but he walked in further. He heard movement and he quickly spun around, raising his katana in defense as another sword came crashing down upon it. Kiku grunted at the force of the strike, and his eyes widened when he saw Gilbert. “Gilbert! Calm down, it’s me!” he exclaimed. Gilbert’s eyes widened when he registered that he wasn’t attacking a threat, he was attacking a friend.  
“Oh, it's you Kiku? Ah… Sorry.” he said as he pulled back quickly, putting his sword away.  
“Are you alright?!” Kiku asked quickly, sheathing his own sword. Clearly Gilbert was hiding from something.  
“Th-There was a monster! I saw it!! A, a stark naked giant with the color of a rotten scone!!” Gilbert exclaimed, waving his arms about wildly to describe how big this giant was. Kiku gave him a look at the odd description of the creature. “It's true! We all saw it! Me, and Ludwig, and Feli too!”  
“Yes, I know.” Kiku said frowning slightly.  
“Before I knew it, I'd wound up here. Those two… I don't know where they went. Am I making any sense?” Gilbert continued on, looking to Kiku desperately.  
“Yes, quite. That does make sense. I saw it, too.” Kiku nodded in response.  
“What the hell is that thing? O… Oh!! And what happened to the others!?” Gilbert said suddenly, realizing that his friend and brother could be in danger.  
“Please calm down. Would you like me to bring you something to drink?” Kiku asked looking to him. “Eh? Well… Now that you mention it, I am a little thirsty. Do you have some water or something?” Gilbert asked sheepishly. Kiku nodded. While he had the beer, he figured he should save it, especially if it cost money, then there would be a limited supply.  
“No, but I can go and get you some. Would you like me to?” Kiku offered to the Prussian.  
“Yeah…” Gilbert then shook his head quickly. “No wait. Never mind, I don't really need it. What happened to the other two?” he asked, his expression twisted with worry.  
“Ludwig is on this same floor. He claimed he was hungry. But… I haven't found Feliciano. Do you have any idea where he might be?” Kiku asked, trying to stay calm in this situation. Gilbert’s eyes shot open wide at that.  
“What!? Feli's Missing!? Do you think he was attacked by that monster??” he asked quickly.  
“We can't be one hundred percent sure… But he's very fast and good at running away. I do believe he managed to escape somehow.” Kiku said in thought. Of course, if anyone could outrun that thing it was him.  
“All right!! Then I'll look for him too!” Gilbert said, suddenly filled with determination. Then he paused. “But first, let's go where Luddy is. What's he doing anyway?” he asked frowning, wondering why his brother had not joined Kiku in this dangerous house.  
“He said he was too hungry to move.” Kiku shook his head and sighed in exasperation. “Gilbert, don't you have anything for him to eat?” he asked. Gilbert thought for a moment before he spoke.  
“Something to eat… Now that you mention it, I did find some mushrooms while I was running away. Will that do?” Kiku nodded.  
“That should do.” he said. Gilbert grinned at that response.  
“All right! Then let's…” he trailed off and looked to the door slowly, his already pale skin becoming the color of Kiku’s uniform as his normally loud voice went silent.  
“What’s the matter?” Kiku asked softly after a long moment. Gilbert’s eyes were trained on the door.  
“Don't you hear the sound of something… getting… closer?” He frowned. Kiku looked over as well. “Hey, say… if that thing on your waist isn't just for show, pull it out of its sheath. If you don't want to be eaten, that is." Gilbert said quietly.  
“Agreed.” Kiku nodded and pulled the katana out. They both jumped when something started banging on the door violently. They both stayed still and silent, waiting for the thing to go away. After a few minutes, Gilbert spoke softly.  
“... Is it gone?” he asked, speaking slowly. Kiku nodded after a moment.  
“Yes, probably.” he said.  
“All right. That was a little scary, but now we should join Luddy. Let's find Feli and get out of here as soon as possible!” Gilbert said nodding as he headed towards the door. “Indeed.” Kiku nodded slightly. They both headed towards the door and Kiku unlocked it. When they opened the door the monster was standing there. “The fuck??” Gilbert shouted running back. “I thought it was gone!!”  
“Apparently not.” Kiku said with a grimace as the thing walked into the room, trapping them in.  
“The more I look at it, the scarier it looks! I can't use my awesome techniques like this! Do something!” Gilbert yelped backing up further. Kiku rolled his eyes and glared at the alien monster.  
“YoU… WOn't… ESc… aPe…” the alien bellowed as he went towards Kiku.  
“Yes we will.” he said before he launched his attack at the creature. He swiped and slashed at the creature, knocking him away just long enough to grab Gilbert and run out with him as the thing chased after them, gaining speed quickly. Kiku found the room where Ludwig was in and he ran in, dragging Gilbert after him. He then locked the door quickly and panted softly, waiting for the creature to reach the door. There was only silence. He sighed and slumped against the door, catching his breath. Gilbert looked around the room and spotted the iron door. His eyes widened some.  
“What’s that?” he asked pointing to the door.  
“This is the fortress where Ludwig is.” Kiku replied, getting up and putting his katana away. Gilbert nodded and he walked over, knocking on the door.  
“It's pretty solid. Hey, Luddy! Kiku told me you were hungry. D' you want some mushrooms?” he asked. There was shuffling from inside, and then Ludwig’s voice came from just behind the door.  
“Is that you, Gilbert? Are you all right!?” he asked worriedly.  
“Yeah, I'm fine! But I have bad news! Feli is still missing!” Gilbert said though the door.  
“And we still have to help that mochi.” Kiku said as an afterthought to Gilbert’s news. There was only a moment of silence before Ludwig spoke again.  
“Hmm. All right. I'm done here, so we can go now.” he said. The door opened with a loud creaking sound, and the German stepped out from the darkness behind the door. He closed it behind him.  
“I don't really get what we're supposed to do, but let's get going!” Gilbert said with a wide grin. Kiku nodded. “We should go to the fourth floor first. That’s where the mochi is, and hopefully it will be a fast visit.” he said looking to Ludwig. The German nodded.  
“Though, can we come back here once in awhile?” he asked. Kiku raised an eyebrow, but nodded.  
“I don't mind, but… Do you actually like those narrow spaces?” he asked. Ludwig looked down some.  
“Well, you could say that I'm… used to them. There's a lot of room, though.” he said before looking back up.  
“Oh.” Kiku said frowning slightly.  
“I really hope Feliciano is fine…” Ludwig said softly, as if no one could hear, but Kiku frowned again before he walked over to Gilbert.  
“Do you want to leave now?” the albino asked. Kiku nodded and led the two brothers out of the room. They went up to the room with the strange mochi hidden in the wall, and the three walked over to it. Gilbert inspected the strange creature and he hummed in thought. “It’s stuck pretty deep, can you do it, Luddy?” he asked. Ludwig rolled his eyes and he walked over, getting a grip on the mochi before tugging. He grunted and fell back when his hands slipped.  
“Sorry, it seems I can’t do it with my bare hands. Maybe if we had a tool of some sort.” he said frowning as he got up.  
“A tool… Well, it's a big house, I'll take a look around.” Kiku nodded slightly.  
“Yeah, I would be really thankful if you could find something useful.” Ludwig said as he went over to the mochi again. Gilbert sighed and frowned.  
“Oh, well, I guess we'll have to split up again to look for it.” he said.  
“Well then I'll be going ahead. I'll come back as soon as I find anything good.” Kiku said, turning towards the door.  
“I think I'll go, too. Actually I haven't looked around very much. Might as well do some exploration!” Gilbert said quickly following him. “Good luck Lud!” he called back.  
“Thanks.” Ludwig said sarcastically as he attempted pulling the mochi out again. Once the two exited, Gilbert turned to Kiku.  
“I’ll check out the bottom floors, we can meet back in this room, yeah?” he asked. Kiku nodded.  
“Good idea.” he said before he turned to walk off, and Gilbert did the same. Kiku found himself in the room at the opposite end of the hallway and he entered. Looking around the bare room, he saw what looked like a lever in the far right corner from the door. He walked over and inspected the lever, finding a note next to it. The note read ‘Up is Heaven. Middle is Earth. Down is Hell.’ Kiku hummed, and first turned the lever to the middle, testing it out. After everything that he had witnessed, he figured that the “heaven” thing was a trap. A key fell from the ceiling and Kiku looked to it with interest. He frowned curiously and walked over, picking it up. He pocketed the key and then he went back to the lever. This time he pushed it to the bottom. The lever then broke off with a snap and Kiku frowned at the broken half in his hands. “Broken.” he said setting it down. Suddenly he heard something moving and he whirled around to see that a box had moved. Hesitantly, he walked over and he saw there was a hole in the ground. He looked down to see an all white room.  
“I must be crazy.” he said to himself as he sat down on the edge and he jumped down into the room. He grunted when he landed and stumbled forward. After getting up he looked around and saw that it was indeed a room that was entirely white, it even had a white piano sitting in the middle of the room. “A piano… I wonder if it still works.” he said in thought as he walked over. Pressing the keys brought a beautiful and soothing sound to the otherwise silent room. “It’s not off tune.” Kiku said surprised, “It must have been down here for years though…” He pondered for a moment, and then decided to continue on. He walked over to the door and unlocked it before opening it, and was surprised to find himself at the entryway. “Huh, so that’s where this door led.” he said in thought before he began walking. He wondered if he would meet up with Gilbert at all. He went back up the stairs and tested the doors, finding one to be open. He entered and found himself in what appeared to be a large library.  
His footsteps echoed in the vast space, and he paused when he heard shuffling in the shelves. His movements became more cautious as he peered into the aisles of shelves. After a few empty ones, he looked in and was shocked to see Feliciano looking at some of the books! “Feliciano!” he gasped in shock and relief. The Italian looked over in surprise, and quickly ran over to Kiku.  
“Kiku! You’re okay!” he exclaimed hugging the Japanese man. Kiku was normally not one for physical contact, but he was so relieved he found himself hugging his friend tightly.  
“Yes, thank God, somehow.” he said to Feliciano’s exclamation. They pulled back from the hug after a minute, and Feliciano immediately began rambling about what had happened.  
“Right after you left, a monster suddenly appeared from the hallway and came after us! Ludwig was the first to scream. You… heard him, didn't you?” he asked curiously, his eyes wide. Kiku frowned and shook his head.  
“No, not at all…” Feliciano frowned worriedly, but continued talking.  
“I see, Ludwig's scream surprised me, too, and I was too confused at the time and tried to run away and leave you behind… I'm sorry, Kiku… But the front door wouldn't open no matter what and we split up while running away.” he said frowning in shame at the fact that he had left his friend. Kiku shook his head firmly, not wanting to accept such a response to being chased.  
“No need to apologize. Anyone would have done the same in a situation like that. Even me, still… what on Earth is going on in this house? The exit door and the windows can't be opened. Our cell phones don't work either.” he said crossing his arms in thought as he looked around. This truly was a strange house. Feliciano nodded sadly.  
“Yep. It looks like we're locked up. But! I'm so glad I found you, Kiu!! Aren't you hurt or anything? Aren't you hungry?” he fretted, looking Kiku up and down.  
“I'm fine. But… you're surprisingly calm about this, Feliciano. You were even wandering around the house…” Kiku said looking to Feliciano curiously. Normally he would be the one to flee any situation and hide away.  
“Well… When that monster appeared, I wanted to cry and cling to Ludwig, but… well, both Ludwig and Gilbert were falling apart, too. So I figured someone needed to keep a level head, and even I was amazed by how calm I felt! And then I began to look around for everyone so we could get out of here as soon as possible!” Feliciano said quickly, puffing his chest out and smiling brightly. Kiku nodded slowly, still suspicious, but it seemed like it could happen. It certainly is surprising what one can accomplish if everyone else is in turmoil.  
“That makes sense… I was startled at first, too, but after seeing everyone else so flustered, I felt oddly calm.” he nodded again, relaxing some.  
“So, what about Ludwig and Gilbert? Haven't you found them yet?” Feliciano asked worriedly.  
“No, I've found them. They're on the fourth floor, but I'll explain the details on the way. They were both very worried about you. You'd better go and let them see you as soon as possible.” Kiku said looking to him. Feliciano nodded happily and grinned.  
“Ah, okay! Let's go together, then! I found some stuff while exploring, so I'll leave them with you. I also made pasta~ You can have that, too.” The Italian proudly grinned at accomplishing such a task. Kiku found himself chuckling at his friend returning to more of his normal demeanor.  
“Of course, let’s go.” he said before leading Feliciano out of the library. Kiku led him back to the room where Ludwig was, explaining all that he had found along the way. Feliciano listened with intrigue, and soon they found themselves back at the room. They entered and they froze when they saw the alien cornering Ludwig and Gilbert by the back wall. Feliciano shrieked.  
“Kiku!! It’s the THING! THE THING!!!” he exclaimed jumping behind the smaller man.  
“Kiku! Take Feliciano with you and run!!” Gilbert yelled to them. Ludwig looked over quickly at the mention of the Italian’s name.  
“Feli! You’re okay!” he gasped. “Go! You two need to run!!” Feliciano whimpered some while Kiku stood still. Gilbert pulled out his sword and growled at the two.  
“Are you both deaf?? RUN!!” Kiku only stepped forward.  
“My, my… I must indeed be losing my hearing in my old age. I can't hear you at all.” he said pulling out his katana. Gilbert’s eyes widened.  
“What?? What the fuck are you talking about??” he exclaimed before shouting when the alien held up his hand and pushed, shooting Gilbert back towards the wall with a harsh thud.  
“You two! GO!” Ludwig shouted. Feliciano flinched, but he stood with Kiku.  
“I believe it is our duty to help our friends, don’t you think, Feliciano?” Kiku asked. Feliciano nodded quickly, and they both charged the alien. They fought hard, four attacking the beast at once. They did not let up, nor let injuries stop them, and after several minutes, the alien vanished, leaving them panting in exhaustion. Ludwig and Gilbert ran over to their friends. “Are you hurt?” Kiku inquired, looking at the two brothers. Gilbert frowned deeply and crossed his arms.  
“The hell?! You totally ignored what I said!” he exclaimed. Ludwig shook his head.  
“We thought we could do it on our own, but they really helped.” he said before looking to them both. “Are you two okay?” he asked.  
“Yep. But I'm so relieved now! You two ran away really fast, so I'd been wondering what had happened to you.” Feliciano said looking up to them. Ludwig sighed and he knelt down, pulling the Italian close. “Ludwig?” Feliciano asked in surprise at the show of affection.  
“Don’t… don’t get lost from us again.” he said quietly. Feliciano pouted.  
“You two ran away from me!” he said before he returned the hug. Ludwig chuckled.  
“I know, sorry.” Kiku stood up and put his katana away.  
“I am really glad that everyone is alright. Now what are we going to do from here?” he asked.  
“Yeah. The thing could show up here again, so we should move to a room that is safe as possible. Besides, if the four of us stick together, it won't be so scary.” Gilbert nodded firmly. Ludwig stood, pulling Feliciano up with him.  
“Excellent idea.” he said. “Let us find a room that will be safe for all of us, and we shouldn’t split up from here on out.” Feliciano nodded happily.  
“Roger, captain!”

They explored the room some before leaving, and Gilbert found a wooden box in the cabinet. Figuring it would not hurt to carry the box with them, as it could aid with storage, Gilbert kept the box with him. The four explored the floors above and below, Kiku testing the key he had received from that strange lever on each locked door. In their explorations, they found a piece of paper, and decided to keep it with them. Ludwig rationalized it for writing notes since their phones were freaking out. Kiku found that the worked on one of the rooms on the second floor. They all entered the room and Kiku locked the door securely after everyone was inside. They explored the room, and Ludwig found a matchbox underneath the desk that was in the room.  
“Do you think this room is safe enough?” Feliciano asked. Kiku thought for a moment and shook his head.  
“No, I don’t think so, though we have a key, the door seemed flimsy when I pushed it.” he said. Ludwig nodded.  
“Let’s keep searching then.” he said before they all left. They looked around a bit more, and found themselves in a room with a bed, a fireplace, a table, and a desk. Kiku locked the door after they entered, now the action was a necessity.  
“We can't get too careless, but I think we're safe here, for now. We have the key, and the door is firmly locked from inside.” Gilbert said sighing as he sat on the corner of the table.  
“It's only temporary, but it should do for one night, I suppose…” Kiku said looking around the room.  
“One night is good enough for me. I'm really tired from running around.” Feliciano said stretching his legs some. Ludwig nodded with a sigh.  
“You're right. We ran a lot for one day. It makes me feel like having some beer…” he muttered to himself as he crossed his arms, still standing defensively.  
“I'm a little cold, too… I wonder if it's because of this house?” Feliciano asked as he rubbed his arms. Even with the layers of clothing, there was still a chill. Kiku walked over to the fireplace in the room and inspected it.  
“If I'm not mistaken, we found some matches. There's also enough firewood for one night, so we can warm up.” he said nodding as he stood up again.  
“I’ll do it then.” Ludwig said walking up to the fireplace as well and pulling out the matchbox. He struck one of the matches and tested it in the logs. To his surprise and relief, the fire lit quite easily. Gilbert grinned.  
“Damn that’s nice! I feel warmer already.” Kiku nodded and went to sit in one of the chairs at the table.  
“Yes. I feel much better now that we have some light. And now I'm not alone, either.” he said smiling lightly. Feliciano nodded happily.  
“Yeah~ But it was really scary at first! Even though Ludwig was the first to run away, it was me that monster chased after!” he shuddered at the memory.  
“It was terrifying! I wanted to go save you, but then you both vanished, and Luddy had gone in a puff of smoke!” Gilbert laughed lightly. Ludwig’s cheeks heated up in embarrassment.  
“I hate supernatural things! B-besides… it's not like I just ran and hid-Well, never mind now. As long as we're all okay it doesn't matter.” he shook his head furiously. Feliciano frowned and he stood up, going over to the German and grasping his hand.  
“Yes, exactly. Besides, rather than think about how we acted in the past, we should discuss what to do from now on.” Kiku nodded in agreement. Ludwig wordlessly squeezed Feliciano’s hand before he spoke.  
“I see, we can only conclude that that monster has really made us prisoners here. Though, having no way out is what really bothers me…” he said frowning.  
“Indeed… I really wish I could go home, I've been waiting for several games that will be released soon…” Kiku sighed in disappointment.  
“Me, too. I can't eat pasta or pizza like this!” Feliciano piped up. Gilbert raised an eyebrow.  
“Um, hey, you keep talking about a way out… If all the exits are locked, why don't we just make one ourselves? Didn't you do that when you were prisoners of war, too? It's time to put that into practice now!” he exclaimed with a wide grin.  
“You make a very good point.” Kiku nodded as he stood again.  
“Ve! I will do all I can to help!” Feliciano said happily. Ludwig chuckled lightly.  
“Alright, alright. So, the plan for tomorrow is to make a way out, we can't forget about that.” he said smiling lightly.  
“Right. Well, now I don't know what time it is, but let's sleep here tonight.” Kiku nodded, finding that he felt exhausted. Feliciano nodded.  
“I realized my watch broke too, it must have happened when I was running…” he frowned.  
“Wait, won't it be dangerous if we all go to sleep? I think one of us should stay up to keep watch.” Ludwig said quickly when he had the realization.  
“You definitely have a point. So, shall we play janken to decide fairly who will keep watch tonight?” Kiku offered. Feliciano tilted his head in confusion.  
“Jan-ke? What are the rules?” he asked.  
“Well, er… It's a very simple game. You play by showing three types of hand-signs…” Kiku explained to Feliciano. Gilbert sighed in exasperation.  
“Whatever, let's do it already! I'm really tired! I wanna sleep!!” Ludwig shook his head at that.  
“Gil, just wait a little.” he said. Gilbert pouted and waited reluctantly.  
“-and Rock beats Scissors. You can throw Rock, Scissors, or Paper.” Kiku finished explaining. Feliciano’s face lit up in realization.  
“Ah, it's a little like "La Morra". Okay, I got it, Kiku! Let's do it!” he said happily. Kiku nodded and held out his hand.  
“Let's go then. Jan… ken…”

Three of them lay resting on the bed. Kiku was curled up near the wall, and Ludwig and Feliciano shared the other side of the bed. The Italian was currently using Ludwig’s chest as a pillow. Gilbert glowered and grumbled from a chair at the table, holding his sword and flicking it about. “Stupid game… stupid bed… stupid lousy rock why in the hell does paper beat rock…” he muttered to himself. He then looked to them and sighed. “At least they’re resting. They do need it, I can do this, I mean it’s just a while, and then it’ll be my turn to rest.” he chuckled lightly. “Their faces when playing janken, it was so awesome! They looked so serious, it was incredible.” he smiled, and then a shiver ran down his spine. He frowned. “What… why am I cold? The fire is strong enough, isn’t it?” he asked looking back at the fireplace before he was wracked with a shiver that shook him so hard he nearly fell. “The hell?!” he hissed getting up again.  
Gilbert’s head slowly turned towards the door when he thought he heard movement. “I’m… I’m just hearing things, right?” he asked to himself, holding his sword firmly. He jumped when there was banging on the door. “There’s no one here! No one I say!! Damn it why aren’t they waking up?? Is this really all in my head?!” he exclaimed, eyes wide as the banging continued. “No. I’m not here, maybe if I’m quiet it’ll… shit who am I fooling? I can’t do that even if I try!” He frowned and walked towards the door. “I’ll protect them, even if it means the end of me.” he said before he threw open the door and ran out, slamming it behind him.


	2. An Allied Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can not easily set foot into that "mysterious mansion" in your town. Because if you anger it's former occupant, you will not get away lightly… Especially when there are no people there…

You can not easily set foot into that "mysterious mansion" in your town. Because if you anger it's former occupant, you will not get away lightly… Especially when there are no people there…

Six men walked up to the front of the property, all gazing up at the mansion with varying degrees of awe or disinterest. The first to break the silence was a Chinese man with long hair tied back in a ponytail.  
“It’s really here!” the man, Yao, gleefully exclaimed. An Englishman, Arthur, frowned as he looked up to the mansion. He felt a strange and unsettling presence in the air.  
“I thought it was just a rumor… but it’s actually here.” he muttered to himself with a confused expression.  
“It’s incredibly quiet, the isolation is an incredibly nice touch, vous ne trouvez pas?” a Frenchman, Francis, quipped while flipping his shoulder length blond hair back some. The Canadian, Matthew, frowned worriedly.  
“I don’t think it’s very interesting though…” he said quietly, hoping to maybe get someone to agree with him. The American next to him, Alfred, looked around.  
“Did anyone else hear a voice?” he asked. Francis swatted his arm.  
“Be nice to your brother! Don’t tease him like that, it’s incredibly rude to ignore someone as handsome as he~” he grinned with a wink to Matthew. The Canadian blushed furiously at the possible flirting attempt. Alfred shrugged and grinned.  
“Still, it doesn’t look like a really fun place.” he said as he looked around. In truth, it looked boring.  
“Well, why don't we take a little look inside and then go back? I think we can leave before nightfall.” The tall Russian with them, Ivan, said cheerfully as he walked towards the house without hesitation. Not wanting to seem like a coward, Alfred followed after him.  
“Yeah! I don't want to stay too long, either!” Yao said following them.  
“Eh bien, alors, shall we go in?” Francis shrugged before following along. Arthur sighed and followed them, Matthew trailing behind. They entered the house and they looked around the silent entryway. Ivan spoke, his voice seeming to echo against the walls.  
“The rumors say that they're ghosts here, da? That's why, nobody comes near this place…” he said.  
“No wonder. It's such an eerie place.” Alfred shivered looking around. Matthew noticed this and tilted his head in confusion.  
“Huh? How unusual of you, Alfred. Are you scared?” Alfred shook his head quickly.  
“No! Of course not!” he said puffing his chest out.  
“Francis, Yao and I will check the second floor and explore a tad.” Arthur said heading for the stairs. He wanted to get this over with. Francis happily followed and Yao did the same. Alfred looked around and walked a few paces forward.  
“I wonder why we’ve never heard of this place before now.” Ivan said in thought as he looked down the hall to their left. “Where did you say you heard about this place?” he asked. As Alfred was about to answer, he heard rapid footsteps and turned to see a giant alien rushing at them.

Francis hummed in thought as he walked around the second floor with the other two. “It's cleaner than one would expect, isn't it?” he asked in thought. Arthur looked around, seeming disturbed.  
“Yes… but we shouldn’t stay here long.” He said. Francis looked over and smirked slightly, ready to tease the Englishman.  
“What's the matter, Arthur? Are you scared?” he asked with a chuckle. Arthur’s cheeks flushed and he frowned.  
“O-Of course not, you idiot!! That's not it!! It's just that this place is sort of…” he trailed off when Yao sighed in exasperation.  
“Haaa… It's silly. There are no ghosts here or anything. You can go back.” he said before he walked down the hall to the right of them.  
“Are you going to look around on your own?” Francis called after him. Yao paused and turned around.  
“I'll just take a peek into this room over here. It smells a little bad.” he said gesturing to the room at the end of the hall.  
“What? Isn't that a little risky? Hey, w-wait!!” he quickly went after Yao. Francis shrugged and followed along. They went down the room and they paused in front of the door.  
“I can't help but have a very unpleasant feeling about this place…” Francis said once they go there. Arthur frowned as he looked around. “You've been really quiet for a while now. What's wrong? Is there something strange here?” Francis asked putting his hand on Arthur’s shoulder.  
“... No… There's nothing… or no one at all.” Arthur shook his head.  
“Ivan and the others are on the first floor.” Yao commented and Arthur shook his head again, his frown deepening.  
“Yes, I know that. When I said there's no one here at all, I meant… How should I put it? It feels… as though everything has been… consumed…” he said in thought as he shuddered. Francis frowned worriedly.  
“You mean you can't see the usual illusions? If even illusions have been consumed, maybe we really should keep out.” he said.  
“I agree. In that case, I'll go and take a look upstairs. What are you going to do, Opium?” Yao asked. Arthur grimaced at the rather callous nickname the Chinese man had bestowed upon him.  
“I don't really want to stay on this floor. I'll go upstairs, too.” he said. Francis pouted.  
“You're leaving me here all alone? Well, then, when you're done checking out upstairs, we'll meet again here.” he said with a sigh. He did not really mind being alone, but now he was a bit worried.  
“All right, then we'll leave the second floor to you.” Yao said with a nod. Francis returned it and looked to Arthur.  
“30 minutes should be enough. Don't fall asleep on us Francis.” he said after a moment. Francis scoffed slightly and grinned.  
“You can trust me~ Well, see you later.” he said as he turned to walk away. Yao frowned in confusion.  
“Aren’t you going to start with this room?” he asked. Francis chuckled lightly.  
“Of course not, that room is bad news, isn't it? I'll leave it for later!” he said with a grin as he continued walking. Arthur sighed and shook his head before turning to Yao.  
“Let's go, quickly. If we make Alfred wait, he won't shut up about it.” he said. Yao frowned worriedly.  
“You look pale. You really hate it here, don't you?” he asked as they started walking. Arthur was quiet for a moment before he sighed.  
“...I never thought I would envy people who couldn't "see" so much.” he said quietly.  
“What was that? I didn't hear you.” Yao asked frowning in confusion. Arthur shook his head.  
“Nothing.” he said as they went up the stairs. They explored the floors until they came upon a room with many chairs. They looked around and Arthur’s eyes widened when he spotted a mochi that appeared to be stuck in the wall. “What’s that… thing?” he asked. Yao shook his head.  
“I don't think it's very important for now. Let's leave it alone.” he said. Arthur nodded in agreement. They then inspected the chairs, and Arthur was startled to find one that he recognized. “What a creepy chair. Doesn’t that look like the chair you tried to curse Ivan with?” Yao asked looking to Arthur. He didn’t answer and instead deflected the subject.  
“... Well, we've come all the way to the 4th floor, but… everything looks pretty normal. The air is terrible, though.” he commented. Yao raised an eyebrow, but did not press it. If Arthur was not willing to answer, there was no point in pushing it, so he instead nodded in agreement.  
“The bad feeling still isn't gone. Let's go back to Francis and go home!”  
“Yeah, well, let's-!” Arthur stopped short when he heard gunshots go off from below them. “That sound…” his eyes widened. “That’s Alfred’s pistol. I’d know that anywhere.” Yao frowned.  
“What does that mean though? They could be messing around.” Arthur shook his head, already leaving the room.  
“He doesn’t like firing needlessly. Something happened, let’s go!” he yelled back, already worried for his American idiot. They both ran down the stairs.  
“We need to find Francis.” Yao said quickly. Arthur grimaced, but he nodded. Dammit he didn’t want anything bad to happen to anyone, where could that stupid French frog be?? “Maybe he went in here?” Yao asked going to the door they had been looking at before. He found it open and stepped inside. Arthur waited in the hall, anxiously looking around for Francis. Yao walked in and saw a fireplace with some smoke still wafting from the extinguished logs. “Burnt firewood, so that’s the source of the smell.” he muttered in thought. Then his eyes widened and he backed up when he saw a familiar white uniform shirt. “These are-No doubt about it… It's Kiku's clothes. Wh-why are they covered in blood like this…? There are… remains of several things in the fireplace. But I can't tell what got burnt.” he said shakily before he quickly grabbed the clothes and ran out of the room to find Arthur. The Englishman turned when he heard footsteps and saw Yao.  
“Was he in there??” he questioned. Then he looked down to the cloth in Yao’s arms. “What… Is that… Is that Kiku’s?” he asked softly, hesitantly.  
“Half of it got burnt…” Yao said almost hollowly.  
“Oh fuck is that… blood… shit. Wait, how is that Kiku’s? I thought they-!”  
“This place is dangerous! But if Kiku is here, it's a different matter! I'll look for him and then go home!” Yao snapped, holding the clothes to his chest.  
“C-calm down, I say! Try thinking about this rationally! Why would Kiku come here? Listen, we only came down here because we went along with Alfred's idiotic story and had nothing better to do, right?” Arthur said, trying to calm Yao down, though he was holding back his own shaking.  
“That’s why this is so weird!” Yao exclaimed.  
“You said it yourself, didn't you? You sent that message to Kiku. When you talked to him about it at the meeting place, he said, ‘I'll see what I can do,’ which is what he says when he doesn't want to do something, so he didn't come. And when we got into the mansion, you sent him a message saying, ‘We're here,’ and he replied ‘Be careful,’ only once. But he sent that from the meeting place!” Arthur said, holding Yao’s shoulders. Yao nodded slowly as he listened to Arthur’s words. “Just think about it. He's in the meeting place right now! He couldn't possibly have got here before us.” Arthur continued, hoping that this was helping. Though as soon as he said that, Yao stepped back and glared at Arthur.  
“Th-then what is this?!” he questioned clutching Kiku’s clothes. “These are the same clothes that Kiku was wearing today! Why would the same clothes be burning in the fireplace?!” he asked, holding the cloth tighter. Arthur bit his lip as he tried to come up with an explanation. “Francis is missing, too. Alfred was shooting at something. This place is too weird! I'll go talk to the others about it.” Yao continued urgently. Arthur straightened up.  
“You’re right. We need to find them, let’s go.” he said pulling Yao towards the stairs. They both ran down and were met with an empty hallway, though blood was spattered on the ground. Arthur felt his blood leave his face and his stomach drop.  
“Arthur! This way!” Yao snapped, draggin the dazed Englishman from the blood and down the right hallway. They got to the kitchen and were met with the sight of Matthew being thrown against the wall. The Canadian let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor. Ivan was with him, holding off another attack.  
“Matthew! Are you okay??” he called back. Matthew groaned in response and coughed up blood as he hoisted himself up. Ivan growled and that distraction was enough for the monster to get an attack in on him. Ivan fell back with a grunt.  
“Ivan!” Arthur shouted. The Russian looked over to the two.  
“About time.” he grimaced standing up and pulling out his pipe. He removed the tap and pulled out a sharp blade, attacking the alien once more. Yao winced.  
“Damn that was a good shot!” he gasped.  
“But it did nothing to the creature.” Arthur observed. “Yao, we need to help, you look after Matthew, make sure he’s alright, I’ll help Ivan.” he said as he ran over.  
“Right!” Yao quipped before he ran over to help Matthew up. “Oh… that doesn’t look good.” he grimaced looking to the blood on Matthew’s shirt.  
“N-no, no I can fight.” Matthew gasped.  
“Are you crazy??” Yao questioned. Matthew shrugged before he stood up and went back to fight. Yao followed him into the battle. Even though there were four against the beast, it seemed to be stronger than all of them put together. Each strike was met tenfold, and before they knew it, all of them had been pushed past their limits. Ivan was holding Matthew up, keeping him back from the rest of the fight. “Arthur, why don’t you do something?? Don’t you have magic??” Yao snapped as he wiped blood from his chin.  
“This place is blocking my fucking magic! I can only use some of it!” Arthur snapped back as he picked himself up. The monster rushed for them, as if for a final attack, and then there was a flash of white, and the beast was cut down. It stumbled back and fell. Standing there was Kiku, glaring down at the alien.  
“I won't let you lay a hand on my friends.” he said, his jaw clenched.

“Kiku!! You’re here! You’re okay!” Yao gasped as he stood up shakily.  
“Yes, I am, and I hope I’ve gotten here in time. Now excuse me while I deal with this thing.” he said before he attacked the creature. With a few calculated strikes, the thing vanished.  
“He disappeared?” Ivan asked frowning as he stood up, holding Matthew up.  
“Are you four alright?” Kiku asked as he turned around.   
“A bit the worse for wear, but not dead.” Arthur said as he stood up fully. Kiku nodded and put his katana away.   
“That is good.” he said. Arthur frowned.  
“Y-Yeah. Anyway, Kiku, have you fought that monster before? It wasn't the first time… was it?” Kiku looked to him, confused.  
“What? What are you talking about? You have fought it before, too, haven't you? You got here first, after all.” he said frowning. Yao tilted his head and he walked over.  
“We haven't been here for even an hour. And you… you weren't even supposed to be here yet.” he said hesitantly. Ivan perked up.  
“That's true! When you put it that way. I mean, Yao sent Kiku a message and then Kiku replied from the meeting place right?” he asked. Kiku nodded slowly.  
“Yes, and then Feliciano started saying that he wanted to come, too, so Ludwig, Gilbert and I came with him… but…” Kiku trailed. Matthew frowned and grimaced as he spoke.  
“What? But it takes 3 hours to come here from the meeting place. We really have been here for only about an hour. Don't you think that's a little odd?” he asked. Kiku frowned and sighed.  
“... There are many things we need to talk about. First of all, let's go to the second floor. I know of a safe room there.” he said. Yao’s face then scrunched up in confusion and worry.  
“W-wait a minute! What about this then?! What's with these clothes of yours?! They're covered in blood!!” He exclaimed holding out the burnt clothes.  
“Oh. Those are the clothes I threw into the fireplace. Why do you have them?” Kiku asked.  
“I found them when I went to that room! Aren't you… hurt…?” Yao asked quietly. Kiku shook his head.  
“I can explain that when we get to the safe room. We can treat your injuries there.” he said.  
“Wait, what?” Yao asked. Kiku offered a smile to him.  
“I’m not hurt right now, really, now let’s go, before it comes back.” he said. The four of them nodded and left with Kiku.


	3. Branching Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is explained, and three branching paths emerge for the players.

Kiku led them to the room with the fireplace and told them to wait while he went to get Ludwig and Feliciano. He found them in the room with the iron door. He spoke with Feliciano for a few minutes, and found that Ludwig was behind the iron door again.  
“So everyone is here?” Feliciano asked. Kiku nodded.  
“Yes, all are gathered in the safe room but Alfred and Francis.” he said. Feliciano nodded.  
“Alright, so should we have the meeting?” he asked. Kiku nodded firmly in agreement.  
“Ludwig, if you’re ready let’s go. They can’t wait.” he said.  
“Understood.” Ludwig replied from behind the door. He then exited and walked over to them. “Sorry for the wait.” he said.  
“Are you okay now?” Feliciano asked worriedly. “Do you think you need to go back in and get anything?” Ludwig shook his head and rubbed Feliciano’s arm to comfort him.  
“No, it's okay. And I probably won't come back here. Or rather, I hope I won't.” he said.  
“Really? I hope so.” Kiku said. ‘Now, let's hurry up. We can't take our time here. We need to talk to them as soon as possible.” he said before turning around.  
“Wait.” Ludwig said, stopping Kiku. “You… you haven’t found my brother, have you?” he asked. Kiku was silent for almost too long before he shook his head. Ludwig’s shoulders slumped and he looked down. Feliciano reached up to cup his cheek. He put on a smile for the German.  
“It’ll be okay.” he said softly, before he brightened up. “Cheer up, Ludwig! If you're like that, we'll never find Gilbert!" Ludwig sighed and leaned into the touch of Feliciano’s hand before he nodded.  
“You're right. Sorry.” he said.  
“Come on, they're waiting for us.” Kiku said gently before he led the two out. They walked to the room with the fireplace and entered, the three joining the group of allies in the room.  
“Now, I think we deserve some kind of explanation, at least.” Ivan said crossing his arms when they entered. Kiku nodded and locked the door.  
“Of course. Sorry for making you wait. Now, without further ado, I'll explain our situation.” he said. Ludwig led Feliciano to the bed and sat down with him as Kiku began talking. “First, as you know, I received a message from Yao saying that you had arrived here, and Feliciano thought it would be interesting and wanted to come as well. So Ludwig, Feliciano, Gilbert, and I came here. First, I went to take a look around, but in the meantime, that monster you saw before appeared and attacked them.” he said. Arthur’s eyes widened slightly.  
“Really? Were you all able to get away alright?” he asked.  
“Yeah, somehow. For better or worse, it seemed to be targeting me, and I'm good at running away, so I got to escape.” Feliciano said nodding. Ludwig squeezed Feliciano’s hand without speaking. Yao looked over.  
“Really? That’s incredible.” he said in awe. Feliciano nodded and he got up to go check on the fireplace. Ludwig followed him. Kiku then continued.  
“Eventually, while we didn't know the true nature of that thing, we all got together again and spent the night in this room, with a sense of security because we had the key to it.” he said. Ivan frowned in confusion.  
“Wait, the night?” he asked.  
“That… that really is odd. We only just-, oh, sorry go ahead.” Matthew said ducking his head when he realized he interrupted Kiku, who was about to speak again. Feliciano turned to Ludwig.  
“We’ve run out of firewood, should we burn that wooden box Gilbert found?” he asked. Ludwig nodded.  
“Yes, anything that could help.” he said.  
“We decided that one of us should keep watch and Gilbert kindly took up this duty, but maybe because of our sense of security, the three of us fell into a deep sleep…” Kiku continued. Behind them all, Feliciano lit the fire again, and the box started burning. “When we woke up… Gilbert was gone. There were bloodstains in the hallway, so I followed the trail, but… eventually…” Kiku trailed off and bit his lip. Matthew’s eyes widened and he sat back some, the color draining from his face as he gripped the coat he was wearing. Gilbert was truly missing too...  
“The trail ended…” Ivan said quietly as he sat back in realization.  
“We tried looking for him, but we didn't want to lose anybody else, so Ludwig and I stood by. And then, Kiku found you guys, right?” Feliciano asked looking to everyone in question, making sure he had the details right. Kiku nodded.  
“Yes. And that's what happened to us. But… I thought for sure that Alfred and Francis would be here, too?” he asked. Arthur grit his teeth.  
“They were.” he said quietly, looking down to his lap. He sighed before he spoke again, keeping his composure. “The six of us came here on Alfred's suggestion and split up into two groups. Yao, Francis, and I went to check out the second floor, while Alfred, Ivan, and Matthew looked around the first floor.” Yao nodded and continued the story.  
“We had a bad feeling while we were on the second floor, so Opium and I want to check out the third and fourth floor. While we were up there, we heard shots fired, and Arthur thought that it was Alfred’s pistol. Arthur then dragged me down to the second floor, and when we got there Francis was gone and I found Kiku's burnt clothes in this room, and I wondered what had happened.” he said.  
“We came back to the first floor and found Ivan and Matthew fighting that thing. Alfred had vanished and there was blood in the main entryway. That bastard disappeared the first chance it got.” Arthur said quietly, clenching his fist. Kiku nodded, and then something dawned on him.  
“You know… I vaguely noticed it when I was fighting it, but that strange creature resembles that alien friend of Alfred’s, doesn’t it?” he asked. Matthew looked up in confusion.  
“What?” he asked. Yao piped up.  
“Yes! It looks exactly like that friend of his! Um… was it Tommy?” he asked. Ludwig shook his head.  
“That doesn’t sound right.” he said in thought.  
“That’s not Tony…” Matthew said quietly. Ivan frowned.  
“Really? But it looked exactly like the little alien.” he said. Matthew sighed and shook his head.  
“Little being the operative word, Tony is definitely smaller than this beast, and even so… Tony would never attack Alfred.” he said softly.  
“Wait, it attacked him??” Yao asked, eyes wide. Matthew nodded.  
“It was a rough hit, and then it threw him against the wall, and Alfred started shooting it, my first thought was that it was another alien that Alfred knew, but the look on his face… he doesn’t know this one at all.”  
“Shit… I knew he wouldn’t fire that stupid gun needlessly…” Arthur said, his jaw clenched. Ivan nodded.  
“We had no idea what to do. He was getting cornered, and when we tried to do something about it, he yelled at us to get away.” he said. Matthew bit his lip, taking deep breaths to keep from crying out of shame.  
“I think he… wanted to handle it on his own. But it was strong even for the three of us, so we decided to get away from him. I couldn't fight it, though… I lowered my guard for one moment and was knocked out. When I came to, both that creature and Alfred were… gone. I-I'm sorry, Ivan, for all the trouble I gave you…” he said softly. Ivan shook his head and patted Matthew on the back with a smile.  
“No, you weren't a burden at all! It's pretty hard to fight while you protect someone~ But if you want to thank me, why don't you become one with Russia?” he chuckled and smiled good naturedly. “Anyway, we wanted to help him, but we didn't know where he'd gone. We decided we might as well start looking in the kitchen, and then the Thing appeared again and Yao and Alfred joined us. In other words, three people are missing. I think we should help them as soon as possible. Alfred has nothing to do with it, so we can't feel safe. Rather, we should expect the worst.” he said gravely. There was silence, and then Feliciano broke it with a gasp. Ludwig quickly turned to him.  
“What’s wrong?” he asked. Feliciano was kneeling by the smoldering fire.  
“There's something inside the burnt wooden box! Just a second. Um…” he trailed as he carefully reached into the box. Ludwig’s eyes widened.  
“Be careful!” he said before Feliciano quickly pulled his hand back, wincing and holding something.  
“Ow!” he gasped as he dropped it on the floor. It was a key! “It’s a key to another room!” he said, reaching down to pick it up again. Ludwig took it instead and held it with his gloved hands.  
“I told you to be careful.” he said looking to the pinkened fingers on Feliciano’s burnt hand.  
“That’s good, yeah?” Yao asked tilting his head some.  
“Finding a way out was our priority, but first we have to think of a way to rescue our friends. If we are thorough in our serch, I'm sure we'll find them. Those three are also tenacious people. They've got to be somewhere…” Kiku said.  
“Let’s hurry, I don’t want to lose anyone else.” Arthur said standing up.  
“Well, then, we'll split up into three groups, since we have so much to do. And no one can go alone. each group should have at least two people.” Kiku said firmly. Everyone nodded in agreement. “Now, about our unsynchronized watches-!” he was cut off by loud banging on the door. Feliciano yelped and clung to Ludwig’s arm. “It seems it’s found us… This room is no longer safe.” Kiku said gravely.  
“Was it ever fucking safe??” Arthur snapped. Kiku gave him a look and didn’t answer.  
“My group will be in charge of dealing with the thing. Ludwig, Feliciano, you will search for the room to open with the key.” he said.  
“Then I'll fight with Kiku!” Yao said standing up. Ivan stood up as well.  
“I’ll join this fight, I would like a rematch.” he said cracking his knuckles.  
“There's a room that I want to investigate with Matthew, so that's where we're heading. Feliciano, if you make any progress, come to the room with the piano we saw in a hole on the floor in one of the rooms.” Arthur said. Feliciano nodded quickly.  
“Be careful Kiku!” he said.  
“Thank you.” Kiku replied before the door was broken open and the monster stood behind Kiku. “Well everyone, good luck.” he said before he launched himself at the beast with his katana in hand.

Play Which Group?

Kiku, Ivan, and Yao = Chapter 4

Arthur and Matthew = Chapter 5

Ludwig and Feliciano = Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a shorter chapter, but I'm hoping to make the next three longer for you all! They'll be published shortly!


	4. Kiku, Ivan, and Yao

Play Which Group?

> Kiku, Ivan, and Yao

-Selected-

Kiku knocked the creature back as the other two groups ran out of the room. Yao and Ivan stood behind him, ready for a fight.  
“Everyone has escaped.” Yao said walking up and pulling his wok from the tie on his back.  
“Yes, everyone except us.” Kiku said stepping back to prepare for another strike.  
“It's not often the three of us get to do something together~ This is going to be kind of fun!” Ivan said gleefully as he pulled out his pipe and unsheathed the sword inside it. His tone was cheerful, but his eyes had death in them as he glared at the alien creature before them. They stood before the beast as it stood up and the three rushed at it. They attacked without mercy, wanting this creature to die once and for all. Perhaps it would work with three strong countries against it. The creature was not a pushover this time, oh no. It attacked back viciously, each hit being matched, and the three being thrown back time and time again. As time passed they became more and more winded, but at the same time angrier and angrier. Finally, Ivan let out a yell that shook them all and came crashing down on the beast with his sword. It fell to the ground and vanished. Ivan panted heavily and stood up after it did and he sheathed the sword.  
“We won't lose a second time!” Yao exclaimed. “But it's weird that it disappears like that… We can't tell whether we won or not.” he said frowning some.  
“Well, at least it won't pollute the environment.” Kiku sighed as he sheathed his katana. Ivan shook his head.  
“Not quite, it seems to just keep reappearing. What if it does that indefinitely? It is getting quite annoying…” he trailed frowning. He then went to go check the cabinets, seeing if he could find anything they could take with them when they met the others. Yao walked over to Kiku.  
“You're not hurt, are you?” he asked. Kiku shook his head with a smile.  
“No, your backup was perfect. Our opponent has also grown stronger compared with before. I would have no chances had I fought alone. Thank you very much for you help.” he said with a grateful smile. Honestly he really would have had no chances at all. Then there was a crash and both of them looked over. Ivan was standing over what appeared to be the remains of a clock, his pipe clenched in his hands. “Ivan?” Kiku asked frowning as he walked over.  
“Um, there was this clock that was moving like crazy… I'm sorry. The tick-tock was too loud, so I broke it with my pipe.” he said. “I'm sorry if it was some kind of clue, but it really was so loud…” Kiku frowned and knelt down, inspecting the clock.  
“Hm… Now that you mention it, we can't tell what time it is in this place. Our watches are all out of synchrony.” he said crossing his arms.  
“They're really strange. Even though we came here ahead of Kiku's group, they've been here longer. By the way… it's 11:42 on my watch.” Yao said looking at his watch. Ivan looked at his own and his eyes widened slightly.  
“Huh? But mine is showing the same time as yours, Yao.” he said. Kiku frowned in confusion.  
“What? That wasn't supposed to… Oh! I-it's 11:42 on mine, too! But it was 6:00 just a moment ago…” he trailed, frowning down at his phone.  
“Do you think maybe it's because I broke the clock?” Ivan asked after a moment. Yao nodded after some thought.  
“That's possible. At least in this room the time is right. Maybe we can get the flow of time back to normal if we break the clocks.” Kiku nodded as well.  
“Then we'll break the clocks in every single room we get in. If we do that, maybe… Maybe...we can help Francis and Alfred… Right?” There was a silence that hung in the air, before a shrill ring shattered it. They all jumped at the sound and Kiku and Yao looked to Ivan.  
“Ivan, it’s your phone!” Yao gasped. Ivan then took his phone out and looked at it. He answered it and held it so Yao and Kiku could hear it.  
“Who is it?” he asked. Then there was a single piano note before the call ended. Ivan frowned. “It got cut off.” he said in thought.  
“A piano note, and just one… I wonder what it could mean.” Yao said frowning slighly. “Ah! This whole thing is so confusing!” he huffed. Ivan shrugged.  
“I don’t know, well… maybe we should get to Arthur, do you think all the groups got a call?” Ivan asked.  
“I don’t know.” Kiku replied. “But you are right, we should meet up with everyone else.” he said with a nod.


	5. Arthur and Matthew

Play Which Group?

>Arthur and Matthew

-Selected-

Arthur and Matthew ran from the room, racing down the stairs in the hopes that the beast would not follow them and instead stay with the battle. Once on the first floor, they stopped to catch their breaths. “I… I feel bad leaving them there…” Matthew said quietly once he caught his breath. Arthur shook his head.  
“Nonsense, they have this handled, it seems like Kiku has fought this beast plenty of times, I’m sure they will be alright.” he said to reassure the Canadian. Matthew nodded, finding comfort in the words. “Now, let’s get to exploring. I really did want to see what was with the room with the piano, I believe it was here…” Arthur trailed going to the door in the odd room that jutted out from the wall next to the stairs. When they entered, they were greeted with a completely stark white room with a white piano in the center. Matthew winced and squinted some.   
“It’s so bright in here…” he said trying to get used to it. Arthur nodded.   
“Indeed. The paint itself could be a light source.” he said as he entered further. “I hope we can explore this room before anyone else.” he looked around. Matthew walked up to the piano and frowned in confusion, seeing numbers on the keys.   
“Arthur, come here and look at this.” he said looking up. Arthur walked over to him.   
“What is it?” he asked before he looked down and frowned at the numbers. “Numbers… did you see anything we would need numbers for?” he asked. Matthew shook his head.  
“Not that I can remember.” he said frowning. Arthur hummed in thought before he straightened up.  
“I’ll look around, there has to be something in here.” he said as he walked away from the piano. Matthew nodded slightly.  
“Alright, I’ll look too.” he said. Arthur found himself by the bookcase that was against the wall. He looked through the books, hoping to find something. Matthew looked around the room, and soon found himself by the piano again. “Numbers… they must be a code for something. Something that uses numbers… Numbers.... Puzzles… Security, too. So, security breach… but this house isn't that high-tech, so… a safe, or something…” he said in thought, looking at the numbers in confusion and interest. Then Arthur spoke, jolting him out of his thoughts.  
“Hey! The books in this room are nothing special, so wait here while I go to the room next door. There are a lot of books there, so I'll leaf through them.” Arthur said as he walked to the other door in the room. Matthew looked up at that.  
“Oh, okay, just be careful, okay?” he asked. Arthur nodded.  
“Of course.” he said as he left. Matthew sighed and he looked down to the numbers again, his face scrunching up in thought as he tried to remember his train of thought. “Um… What I was thinking about again? I forgot it when I talked to Arthur…” He huffed and crossed his arms. “Shoot, I thought I was on to something.” he sighed and sat down at the piano. His thoughts wandered in the silence. “Gil… I should have gone with you… and now you’re missing.” he said quietly to himself. Then he bit his lip and shook his head. “What could I have done… he would have just been k…” he swallowed hard and shook his head. “I would have just been a burden…” he whispered. He pressed the keys gently, playing a simple tune. “I hope you’re okay…” he said softly, trying to hold back his emotions. This was no time to be upset. They had things to do, they had to find everyone missing.  
He stood and walked to the other side of the piano, leaning against it. “Alfred is always getting us into these situations… why did we have to go with him? Why did we enter this place?” he grit his teeth and clenched his fist. “Now we might not be able to leave…” he sighed. “At least… I know I won’t. The others are strong, and they know how to fight. I’ll just be alien food.” Then the door clanged open and Matthew jolted before he sighed softly. “Is that you Arthur? I'm sorry; I haven't looked here yet. Also! We were told not to do anything alone, remember? I'm coming with you this time.” He said frowning before he looked up. His eyes shot open wide when he saw the alien creature standing right in front of him. His throat dried up and the color drained from his face as he stood still, unable to move. No. This couldn’t end like this, he had to prove himself. He had to get this thing away from him! He moved to step forward and then the alien grabbed him. Matthew moved to cry out in fear before he was thrown back, slamming his head into the piano and knocking him unconscious. 

Arthur sighed as he returned to the room. “Nothing, absolutely nothing in that room. This is bloody ridiculous, why is this so hard to figure out.” he frowned and opened the door. “Matt, I’m sorry I left you in here, it turned out to be fruitless-!” His eyes widened when he saw Matthew crumpled by the piano, still and unmoving. It felt like time stopped for an eternity, and yet for only seconds before he shouted out Matthew’s name, racing over to the Canadian. He dropped down and turned Matthew onto his back, trying to assess the damage. There was blood matted in Matthew’s hair, and his face was drained of color. “No… no no fucking bloody hell, Matthew!” he exclaimed patting his cheek firmly, trying to wake him up. “Matthew! Wake up you bloody wanker!” Still nothing. Arthur felt his eyes burning. He couldn’t have this happen! Damn his carelessness! “Open your eyes!!” he yelled desperately. Matthew then shifted and he groaned as his eyes slowly opened and Matthew gasped, wincing in pain as he came to. “Oh fuck… thank god. Matthew, what happened??” he questioned. Matthew grimaced in pain.   
“P-please… don’t shout… god my head is killing me…” Arthur frowned deeply.  
“I’ll say, you’ve got a damn gash in your head.” he said inspecting the blood and indeed finding split skin. “You might have a concussion, can you see alright? Fuck I shouldn’t have left.” he hissed to himself. Matthew shook his head slowly.   
“I-I’m fine, r-really. I can see okay, I’m just a bit dizzy and I’ve got one hell of a headache…” he said trying to sit up slowly.  
“What in the hell happened?” Arthur asked quieter than he had before, but still just as firmly and worriedly. Matthew frowned as he tried to remember.  
“Ah… Hem… No… I can't remember very well but… Since the flow of time is strange, you didn't run into it… Shit… My head hurts… I… I don't think that creature will be coming to this room for a while…” he said slowly. “It doesn’t… as far as I know it doesn’t seem to like to revisit rooms if it thinks… I… I think it thought it killed me…” he said softly. Arthur’s eyes widened.  
“Shit…” he whispered. “We need to get some help. I don’t have anything on me to wrap your wound… but maybe we can clean it.” he said as he helped Matthew up carefully. “There has to be a bathroom around here somewhere…”


	6. Ludwig and Feliciano

Play Which Group?

>Ludwig and Feliciano

-Selected-

Ludwig dragged Feliciano from the room and ran from the sounds of fighting. “W-wait!” Feliciano gasped as he tried to keep up. Ludwig didn’t stop until both of them were on the third floor. Feliciano gasped as he tried to catch his breath.   
“Are you alright?” Ludwig asked rubbing Feliciano’s back. The Italian nodded and frowned as he stood up fully.  
“That guy was a little bigger than before, don't you think? Maybe we really should go back to help them…” he trailed as he looked back to the stairs. Ludwig shook his head seriously.  
“No, first we must accomplish the mission that was given to us. Kiku can take care of himself. Not to mention he has Yao and Ivan with him. We have to fully understand this house so that we can also lighten his burden.” he said. Feliciano nodded at that.  
“Okay, besides, if we run into that thing, I would rather run away than fight.” he said sheepishly. Ludwig nodded with a smile.  
“Duly noted.” he said. “Anyway, let's search theses rooms once more and then report to Arthur and Matthew.” Feliciano grinned happily.  
“Okay! Let’s do our best!” he said taking Ludwig’s hand and walking forward. Ludwig chuckled lightly and followed him. They explored the third floor and found nothing of interest, exploring all the rooms and hallways. “Hm… nothing. Should we check on the first floor? Maybe we can cover what Arthur and Matthew can’t get to?” he asked. Ludwig thought and then nodded.  
“That might help speed up the process.” he said before he led Feliciano down the two staircases to the first floor. They explored the doors and found one that the key they had found fit into.   
“Oh! This one works here!” Feliciano said happily. Ludwig chuckled and nodded at the Italian’s happiness with finding that the key worked. They opened the door and found a quiet room that had a hallway. They entered, and as soon as they did, the creature appeared in the hallway, looking right at them. Feliciano shrieked and as the creature began running towards them, Ludwig grabbed Feliciano, throwing him over his shoulder before he raced off. Ludwig ran down the hallway and raced to find some place to hide. He opened a door and found himself in a library. He had no time to look around though, as the creature came in right after them. Ludwig raced around the table that was there and he weaved in between the bookshelves, after gaining some distance from the beast, he ran back out the door. Once back in the entryway, Ludwig panted heavily and then realized that there was only silence with them, spare his and Feliciano’s breathing. “Is… is it gone?” Feliciano asked hesitantly.  
“I think so…” Ludwig said setting Feliciano down. He turned to say something else, and then he felt soft lips press against his own. His eyes widened in surprise and barely got the chance to return the affection before Feliciano pulled back. “And what was that for?” he asked with a warm smile, happy to see Feliciano more like his usual self.  
“For rescuing me, you’re always so strong and handsome, and when there’s danger you always save me.” Feliciano replied smiling up at him. Ludwig smiled warmly and pulled the Italian close.   
“I’ll always be happy to save you.” he said. “Now, let’s go check out that room, I think that thing must have been hiding something.” he said frowning as he looked down the hallway where they had been surprised by the thing. He led Feliciano back to the room and walked inside. They went down the hallway that was on the other side of the room and explored all that they could find. This mansion was incredibly expansive. After several minutes, they found what appeared to be a golden safe. Feliciano tried to open it and failed.  
“It’s locked!” he said. Ludwig chuckled.  
“Of course, if it wasn’t, then it wouldn’t be any good.” he said. Feliciano pouted at the slight sarcasm, but he nodded. “It looks like a four digit numeric code would go in here…” Ludwig said upon further examination. “Though we don’t have any kind of clues to solve that one, let’s move on.” he said standing up fully. Feliciano nodded firmly and they continued exploring. After looking through several rooms, Feliciano picked up a piece of paper.  
“Luddy! It looks like the other one we found!” he exclaimed. Ludwig walked over and took the paper from him, examining it. On the paper were two rectangles, one red and one yellow. “Oh! It looks like a cross-section view of pasta!” he said happily. Ludwig was surprised by that, but then chuckled.  
“I suppose if you take it simply, yes it does.” he said. Feliciano grinned, and then a shrill ringing filled the air. Feliciano yelped and jumped, and Ludwig jerked in surprise at the sound.  
“What is it??” Feliciano questioned, covering his ears. Ludwig’s eyes widened slightly.  
“Isn’t it your phone?” he asked. Feliciano’s eyes widened.   
“Wha…? How? Our phones don’t get signal here!” he gasped pulling his phone out.  
“How am I supposed to know?! Anyway, try answering it.” Ludwig said urgently. Feliciano nodded and answered it.  
“C-ciao?” he asked. On the other line, there was a single piano note, and then the call ended. “Uh…”   
“Well? Who was it?” Ludwig asked.  
“I'm not sure. I heard a sound, like a piano note, and then the call was cut off.” Feliciano said looking at his phone with a frown.  
“A piano note? Hm… We have this piece of paper now, so let's go back to Arthur. Kiku and the others will probably join us there if all goes well, too.” he said. Feliciano nodded, putting his phone away.   
“Right.” he said before they left the room to join Arthur and Matthew.


	7. Twisted Memories

All three groups found themselves in the piano room. Each stood with various levels of weariness and injury, all having encountered the beast in some way, shape, or form. Kiku took it upon himself to explain the discovery his group made with the clocks.  
“-and by breaking the clocks, we adjust the time… so it is imperative that we do this. We have broken the clocks on the second and third floor. Now, only this floor and the fourth are left.” Kiku finished up, looking around at his friends. Feliciano then piped up with his and Ludwig’s discovery.  
“We found this weird scrap of paper. And then we found a safe inside a room in the kitchen.” Matthew perked up at that.  
“A safe? Maybe the numbers on the keyboard… could be some kind of hint?” he asked.  
“Yeah, then we can open the safe and make some progress. So, first of all… shouldn't we take a look at the scrap of paper that Feliciano found? Would it work with the strange markings on the other piece of paper that you all found?” Ivan asked looking to Ludwig and Kiku. Before Kiku could pull out the paper, a shrill ring cut through the air. Arthur grimaced and pulled out his phone.  
“It’s my cellphone?” he asked confused.  
“Again? Ivan's also rang earlier.” Yao said. Feliciano nodded quickly.  
“Same here! We heard a piano!” he said. Arthur frowned.  
“A piano, hm, well let’s see if mine is ringing a similar tune.” he said before he answered it. Sure enough, there was a single note before the call cut off.  
“It really was a piano. But it was a different note from the one that Ivan heard. Feliciano, did you also hear a different note?” Kiku asked looking to the Italian. He nodded.  
“Yeah, it was different.” he said. Arthur hummed in thought and pocketed his phone.  
“Only one note. That's the only thing in common. But there is no doubt that they're a big hint. We should all solve this one by one.” he said. Kiku nodded seriously.  
“Yes. If we do that, we'll soon be able to meet Alfred and Francis. Though they'll probably get mad at us for taking so long.” he chuckled lightly, but was met with stunned silence.  
“Eh… what?” Feliciano asked in confusion. Kiku frowned.  
“What? What did I say?” he asked.  
“... Matthew.” Arthur asked softly. Matthew was looking at the ground, holding back tears as he spoke  
“Yes I know… It’s okay.” he said softly.  
“Excuse me? What did I say wrong?” Kiku asked.  
“You said "what did I say wrong"... was it on purpose? Not that I care to correct you but… poor Gilbert.” Arthur said frowning as he placed his hand on Matthew’s back. Matthew flinched, but let the hand stay.  
“Yeah, why did you say Francis and Alfred, Kiku? The ones we have to save are Gilbert and Francis right? Why did you say Alfred?” Feliciano asked. Arthur snapped his head over with a glare.  
“What?!”  
“Come on, now, what's wrong with you? We're here to save Alfred, aren't we? Neither Francis nor Gilbert came to this place.” Yao said crossing his arms with a frown. Ivan frowned quietly at the confusion.  
“Only… Alfred?” Kiku’s face then scrunched up and he held his head, incredibly confused. “No, wait a minute. We-well, Alfred said at the meeting place that he wanted to come… And I said… I'd come with him… so I came here with Alfred…” Feliciano frowned at that.  
“Wait-Kiku, what's wrong with you? The three of us came here with Gilbert, remember? Alfred didn't come, and Francis got separated from Ivan and the others…” he said in confusion.  
“You guys…” Ivan said with a confused frown.  
“Wait! Wasn't Alfred the only one who disappeared? Why do you keep bringing those two up?” Yao asked with a confused look.  
“What on earth is going on…” Kiku asked, frowning deeply.  
“What on earth is wrong with you guys??” Matthew asked, frowning deeply. Feliciano frowned at that.  
“A-am I wrong? But Kiku came with us, didn't you?” he asked looking to Kiku. Ludwig frowned in thought.  
“... Maybe correcting time caused some sort of disturbance?” he asked. Yao shook his head and went over to Kiku.  
“Do you remember fighting with me and Ivan?” he asked. Kiku nodded.  
“I do remember that, at the very least that is not messed up.” he said. Yao nodded and frowned.  
“You failed to mention Gilbert at that time, too. I thought you had simply forgotten, but you've been acting odd since then.”  
“Wait a minute, I thought that I came with Kiku.” Arthur said, looking incredibly confused. Then the sound of ticking filled the air and they all began looking around.  
“Wait, I think I know where it is.” Kiku said before he went over to the bookshelf. He hunted through it and found a clock. He picked it up and threw it down, smashing it. “There. One more…” he trailed off as his vision got fuzzy and then faded out. He felt himself falling before he blacked out completely.

When he came to he was outside the mansion, staring up at it between Alfred and Arthur. Alfred grinned and pointed to it excitedly.  
“Here! It's here! Just like the rumours said!” he said happily. Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes with a slight smile.  
“Hey, Alfred, keep it down a little, will you?” Alfred pouted and then he grinned before turning to Kiku.  
“I'm not doing anything wrong! Right, Kiku?” Kiku then had a realization, thoughts flowing through his head.  
‘Yes, yes, that's right! It really was Alfred and Arthur who came here with me. We said that, and then we came in and then…’  
But then his consciousness faded to another memory, one where he was arriving at the mansion with Gilbert standing next to him.  
“Is this it? Are Luddy and Feli really in this place?” the albino male asked looking to Kiku. He sighed in reply and nodded.  
“... Indeed.” he said simply. Gilbert laughed at that and he smirked slightly.  
“You're thinking,’This sucks,’ aren't you?” he teased. Kiku’s cheeks flushed and he frowned.  
“I-I’m not!” he exclaimed.  
‘No, that's not it. The one who came here with me was… Gilbert! We decided to come and pick Feliciano and Ludwig up, so… No. This isn't it. This memory is wrong…

Kiku found himself standing next to Yao and Francis, looking up at the mansion.  
“So, this is the haunted mansion that Alfred told us about?” Francis asked looking to Kiku.  
“That's right! Let's hide before they get here and give them a fright!” Yao grinned happily, eager to scare the large American. Kiku sighed at that.  
“Yao… even if they didn't do the same to get back at you… and even if it weren't this mansion you should be a little more reasonable…” he said pinching the bridge of his nose.  
“It's now or never! You guys, get ready! He's coming this way with Feliciano!” Yao said excitedly.  
“Pff… Wouldn't it be nicer if we just made something to eat together?” Francis asked. Kiku nodded.  
“Definitely…”  
‘This one is wrong, too… No, maybe it isn't wrong, but… No, it's wrong. This isn't what happened.’

Kiku next found himself standing next to Gilbert, Yao, Francis, Matthew, and Ivan.  
“It clearly looks like something is about to come out of it, though…” Kiku said with his arms crossed over his chest.  
“That’s true.” Ivan nodded. “Are they really in this place?” he asked. Gilbert chuckled lightly.  
“You go ahead and go in, Ivan. Me and Mattie are just gonna chill here and wait for you.” he said wrapping his arms around Matthew’s shoulders. The Canadian blushed slightly, but he smiled at the gesture.  
“Aww, you're so mean! Come on, if the the three of us go, I'm sure we can give the others a scare!” Ivan grinned. Francis cleared his throat.  
“Erm, aren't you forgetting someone?” he asked.  
“Gilbert, Ivan, please feel free to go ahead. Matthew and I will be waiting here while we have some tea.” Kiku said shaking his head.  
‘And then Ludwig got quite a scare… But Ludwig came with Arthur and-No, this is wrong, too. This isn't me…’

“Ve~ it’s really here!” Feliciano piped up, cutting through the silence in the air. Kiku, tilted his head in curiosity, almost trying to make sure he was not seeing things.  
“I thought it was just a rumor. I never thought we would actually find it…” he trailed as he looked around the property. Gilbert grinned as he stepped forward, listing to the quiet air around them.  
“It has such a desolate feel… Not bad.” he said smiling back at the group.  
‘Oh… This memory…’

Kiku came to and when he opened his eyes he saw Feliciano’s face above his, worriedly looking at him. “Oh thank god! You’re awake!” he gasped. Kiku frowned and he sat up.  
“What happened?” he asked. Feliciano looked to him with concern.  
“You broke the clock, and then you were just still for a moment, and then you fell over!” he said looking over him urgently. “I’ve been trying to wake you up for the last few minutes. I told everyone you were okay so they wouldn’t worry, and they’ve been talking since then.” he said. Kiku nodded.  
“I see, thank you Feliciano for trying to wake me up. Should we join the others?” he asked. Feliciano nodded and stood, pulling Kiku up with him. They then joined the group.  
“That's why I'm saying that these pieces of paper might be a hint to some kind of hidden passage!” Ludwig said holding one of them up. Kiku frowned at that and spoke up.  
“Um, what? Now your priority is deciphering the password?” he asked. Ivan looked to him and he nodded.  
“Pretty much~ It looks like everyone decided that the other problem was too difficult and that we should first solve this, open the safe to find out what's inside… And then give it some careful thought.” he said with a smile. Then Yao waved his hands as he thought of something.  
“Wait. Then someone's phone should have rung one more time. Shouldn't we wait for it-!”  
“How can our phones even get calls if we're out of range? Besides, we don't even know who has been calling us. Should we blindly trust the hints they give us?” Arthur cut him off frowning. Feliciano moved to say something, but then another phone went off. This time, all eyes went to Ludwig.  
“... There it is Ludwig, if you would please.” Matthew said softly. Ludwig nodded.  
“Y-yes, understood. I'll answer it now.” he said before he answered the call. Just like the three before, there was a single note before the call cut off.  
“So it’s a piano for all of them.” Kiku said. Ivan nodded.  
“Of course, so what was the note that everyone heard? Mine was… Sol I believe.” he said.  
“The note I got was Re.” Arthur said.  
“My note was Si.” Ludwig said. Then everyone turned to Feliciano, who had gotten quiet. “Feli?” Ludwig asked. Feliciano then looked up and he seemed to jump back to reality.  
“Oh! Sorry everyone, the note I got was La.” he said. Arthur nodded.  
“So the notes we heard were Si, Re, Sol, and La.” he said.  
“Let’s look at the keyboard then.” Feliciano said nodding some. They all looked at the keyboard, looking at the numbers that were on the keys as well as the colors that went with the numbers. Then Matthew perked up.  
“Oh! I've got it! I think I know how to solve this! It's a very simple password. You see, first, the notes that played were these four.” he said pointing first to the blue four, the red two, the yellow five, and then the green nine.  
“So it’s four-five-two-nine?” Arthur asked. Matthew shook his head.  
“No, not yet. Now, when you look at the piece of paper that Ludwig and Feliciano found…” he said, “... it's like this. It matches the colours of the numbers on the keyboard. If we match the numbers with their respective colours…” he said as he took the paper. “Then we have the code actually being five-two-nine-four.” he said triumphantly.  
“I see. Amazing!” Yao said happily.  
“When you put it that way, it is rather simple. Well, then, let's head to the safe.” Ludwig said with a nod. Feliciano nodded as well, though his smile was strained. Kiku smiled and he nodded.  
“Yes.” he said before they headed out. Feliciano was the last to leave. After they were all gone, he leaned against the piano, a distraught look on his face.  
“Haa… They solved it, after all…” he said quietly. He held his head, looking almost defeated. This wasn’t how he had planned it at all… “Odd. I thought I'd done everything right, but it was no use, after all… I guess I really shouldn't have given them a hint. But…” he shook his head, straightening up. “No, never mind. I'm sure this is the right thing to do. I'm not making a mistake, right?” he nodded firmly. “Right. Yep. I'm not making a mistake. I'm not making a mistake at all!” he then deflated some, wrapping his arms around himself. “But I wonder if Kiku will get mad at me…” he felt tears bead in his eyes when he remembered how much he had lied to Ludwig up to this point. “Ahaha. Ludwig definitely will… He won't…” he took a shaky breath, wiping tears from his eyes. “He certainly won’t want to be in a relationship with me anymore…” he whispered. He then steeled himself once more and he stood up. He couldn’t stop now, it was already too late. “We're almost there…” he whispered.


	8. Confusion Within the Mind

Ludwig led the group out with Feliciano taking up the back. The German led them to the secret room in the kitchen where the chest was. Kiku walked over and entered the code into the safe. It opened up and Kiku reached in, pulling out a key. “Another key, hm.” he said looking over it. “I suppose we have more rooms to inspect to see which one this fits in.” he said as he stood up. “Ludwig, I’d like you and Feliciano to join me in looking for the room. Could the rest of you look for more clocks?” he asked. Ivan nodded.  
“We can do that.” he said. Ludwig nodded.  
“Alright, we’ll go and we can meet back here.”

Kiku, Feliciano, and Ludwig left to go find which room the key led to. They explored the rooms on the first floor, and they found a room that unlocked when they used the key. They entered and walked around, exploring the room. “There doesn’t seem to be much in here.” Ludwig said, frowning in disappointment. Kiku then looked to a table. He walked over and inspected it. Finding nothing, he decided to look under it. His eyes widened slightly when he found a switch there.  
“Oh!” he said before he flicked it on, then the bookshelf moved to the side, exposing a door. “There was a door behind the bookshelf!” Ludwig walked over.  
“Incredible, this entire mansion is full of secrets!” he said as he went to go open it. Feliciano frowned worriedly and he followed them when they entered the room. When they all got in, Feliciano locked the door. When Ludwig looked to him, Feliciano put on a smile.  
“We can’t be too careful~” he said cheerfully. Ludwig then smiled and he nodded.  
“Very true.” he said as they walked forward into a weird caged area. They found another key inside, and Ludwig picked it up. “Hm… there seems to be a lot of keys just hidden around, I wonder where this one leads.” he said in thought. Kiku nodded.  
“It definitely is a mystery.” he said. “Let’s get back to the others.” Feliciano nodded and went to the door, unlocking it and opening it. They exited the room and the creature appeared before them. Feliciano shrieked and Ludwig pulled out his gun, shooting at it so they could escape. They ran out and Kiku led them to the kitchen, circling around the sitting area so they could get some more distance from the creature. They raced away and once they were back in the entry way, the beast seemed to have disappeared. They panted heavily and caught their breath. “Okay… we should go back to the others.” he said as he stood up fully. They found their way back to where the rest of the group was, and Kiku explained what had happened.  
“Are you okay? Sorry you had to go through that.” Yao said frowning worriedly. Kiku shook his head.  
“It was nothing too bad, we managed to lose it quickly.” he said. Matthew nodded and he smiled lightly.  
“You did very well. And we found the clock!” he said holding up the clock. Ivan nodded slightly.  
“The key we found leads to the basement right?” he asked. “Before we go, though, we have to settle this memory confusion.” he said. Ludwig nodded firmly, taking control of the situation.  
“Each one of you has three minutes. If you have something to say, raise your hand.” he said. Arthur stepped forward.  
“Er, can I go first, then? I don't think it's just me, but… didn't you notice anything when you broke the clocks?” he asked. “I know that Kiku was hit by something incredibly strong, enough to knock him down to the ground.” Yao frowned.  
“Then it wasn't just my imagination.” he said worriedly.  
“You mean we all get false memories whenever we break a clock?” Ivan asked tilting his head some. Ludwig frowned.  
“Really?” he asked. Feliciano looked down and wrung his hands slightly, keeping quiet.  
“When we broke the clock in the piano room, I got memories of coming here with Kiku and others. But…” Yao trailed with a frown.  
“Yeah. Our memories are all tangled, but first, let's try to remember how we started.” Ivan nodded.  
“It all started at the world meeting. We were all gathered in a single place, including those who are missing now.” Arthur said nodding. That was certainly the very beginning, and the only thing that couldn’t be wrong.  
“Right. There is no doubt that this was where we started.” Kiku nodded. “So, Alfred had heard rumours about this mansion and said he wanted to come to see what it was like.” he continued.  
“The meeting had ended and we had nothing better to do, so I came with Alfred, Yao, Ivan, Francis, and Arthur…” Matthew said in thought.  
“We also invited Kiku, but he didn't come. That's why I sent him a message right before I came into the mansion.” Yao said nodding.  
“When he saw that message, Feliciano began to say that he wanted to come, too, and the three of us headed here, along with my brother.” Ludwig continued. Feliciano bit his lip.  
“... Yeah.” he said quietly. Arthur shook his head.  
“But I also have different memories. I remember coming with Alfred and Kiku, and it was Yao who got separated from us, not Francis.” Feliciano looked up at that.  
“Maybe we're getting confused because there are several mixed memories? We don't know which one is right… and it makes us draw the wrong conclusions.” he said quietly. Ivan nodded in thought.  
“Ah, that's also an idea… When false memories get mixed in to hide the truth, we get confused and don't know what is what. And once you suspect something, everything else becomes suspicious.” he said.  
“Well, then, that means that from now on, whenever we break a clock, we'll get a lot of false memories, but we shouldn't believe any of them!” he said firmly. Kiku nodded in agreement.  
“Right, I think we must discard those fake memories without believing them.” he said. Yao sighed in exasperation.  
“What a bother. Also, we have to be ready to get strange memories while we break the clocks.” he said. Ludwig nodded and he took the clock from Matthew.  
“Right. If you can discard them without worrying about them, you should definitely do so. Anyway, I'm going to break this clock. If you get any strange memories, just forget about them right away. Don't forget who you came with or how you came to be here now.” he said before he smashed the clock. Kiku stepped back with a start, holding his head as it was flooded with memories. 

He was suddenly walking into the room where he first reunited with Gilbert.  
“Gilbert!” he called out, quickly going to where Gilbert was hiding between the two beds.  
“Hh! Who's there!?” Gilbert snapped jumping up and swinging his sword down. Kiku blocked the strike with his katana quickly.  
“Woah! Calm down! It's me!” he said.  
“Oh, it's you Kiku? Ah… Sorry.” Gilbert said when he realized it was Kiku. He put his sword away.  
‘Something… something is different. I reunited with Prussia and then we went to see Germany…’  
The two talked, and then Gilbert looked to the door with wide eyes. “What's the matter?” Kiku asked frowning. Gilbert frowned worriedly.  
“Don't you hear the sound of… something… getting closer?” he asked. Then the creature came into the room, surprising them both.  
‘It came in?! I see… The lock…’  
It rushed at them and then Gilbert rushed at it, attacking with his sword. The creature delivered a quick and fatal strike to the Prussian, slashing him in the abdomen and chest.  
“Gilbert!!” Kiku yelled in shock and horror. The creature disappeared and Gilbert stood there, still for the moment. He stood up and went over to him. “G… Gil?” he asked quietly. Gilbert’s sword dropped from his hand and fell with a clatter as he dropped to his knees. “Gilbert!” Kiku yelled again before catching him as he fell back into his arms. He knelt down under the Prussian’s weight and held him. “Gilbert!! H-hold on!! I'll stop the bleeding with some sheets!!” he exclaimed, trying to stop the blood that was now pouring from him. Gilbert reached up slowly to stop him, taking his wrist and shaking his head, coughing up some blood.  
“No, it's okay… I'm a nation… I won't… die…” he chuckled bitterly. “Ah… but, I'm not… a nation anymore, am I? I told you that…” he whispered. Kiku shook his head quickly, tears beading in his eyes.  
“S-Stop it!! I'll call Ludwig!! Please, this isn't the time for jokes!!” he exclaimed.  
“Are… Luddy and… Feli… all right?”  
“... Yes. Both have already left the mansion. We'll go home, too. Ludwig and Feliciano are waiting for us.” he said. Gilbert nodded, licking his lips.  
“And… and Mattie… he’ll be upset I’m hurt…” he laughed lightly before coughing, his vision getting fuzzy. “But… he’ll forgive me, right?” he asked. Kiku nodded, holding him close, trying to hold back his emotions, and failing.  
“Y-yes… yes of course… when we go, we’ll all meet up, and do something fun instead of being in this boring place.” he said softly.  
“Kesese! Yeah… We'll all go to your house… and go to… the… hot springs…” he breathed before his eyes closed and his head fell back, his chest falling still as the blood slowly stopped. Kiku was left staring at Gilbert’s body in his arms, tears silently falling down his cheeks.  
‘Because I… forgot to lock the door… Gilbert had to… But… I… I did lock the door. And Gilbert is alive… This memory… it must be fake. I know which one is true. He wouldn't die in a place like this.’  
Then the memory shifted and this time he, Feliciano, Ludwig, and Gilbert were in a strange and empty room. Ludwig growled angrily and slammed his fist against the wall.  
“Damn it! Even though the four of us got together the situation hasn't got any better! We're still locked up in here that fucking monster is still after our asses!” he snapped.  
‘This wasn't supposed to have happened yet. What on Earth…?’  
Gilbert shook his head, walking over to him.  
“West, don't be so pessimistic. Someone will eventually notice that some nations are gone, even if it's only a few, and they'll come to help…” he said. Ludwig snapped his head over to him.  
“We're being fucking eaten one by one! That's what I would do, if I were the thing!!” Gilbert slapped Ludwig hard, glaring at him furiously. Ludwig looked to him in shock.  
“That's enough, Ludwig!! There are still many other ways to get out of here!” he snapped. Ludwig was quiet for a moment before he spoke.  
“... Sorry. I can't… think like that, but… I feel as though I'm in a battlefield. Though if it were one, I could keep myself together and protect you… I want to change this.” he said, his shoulders slumping. Kiku shook his head.  
“You can't help it. You hate this kind of thing.” he said. Feliciano then looked over to Ludwig, having been farther away from the group this time.  
“... Ludwig.” he said softly. Ludwig looked over to him.  
“Hm?” he asked frowning in confusion.  
“It's okay; you will be okay. You'll be able to get out this time. And if you get out, run straight ahead. Don't look back, no matter what happens, and get time…” he said softly, backing up towards the door.  
‘Time? What is Italy talking about?’  
Then the monster came into the room, right behind Feliciano.  
“Feliciano!” Kiku gasped.  
“Feli!!” Gilbert yelled. Feliciano smiled sadly at them.  
“Promise me, Ludwig.” he said softly.  
‘Italy is going to…’  
Ludwig raced forward. “FELICIANO!” he yelled before the memory went black. Then everything rushed forward and Kiku was back in the present.  
“Kiku?? Kiku are you okay??” Feliciano yelled holding Kiku’s shoulders. Kiku came back to the present, tears streaming down his face as he held his head.  
“Feliciano!” he gasped pulling the Italian flush in a tight hug.  
“Ow! Wh-what's the matter?” Feliciano asked, confused.  
“Kiku!” Matthew gasped at the reaction. “Do you remember what we said about the clocks?!” Then Kiku relaxed and he stepped back.  
“Oh… I-I'm sorry. I'm fine. I remember.” he said softly. Matthew frowned worriedly.  
“You get a lot more memories than the rest of us, and they are more intense, too.” he said.  
“Are you all right? Do you need to rest a little?” Arthur asked. Kiku shook his head.  
“No, I'm sorry. I was just confused. You all… seem to be fine.” he said. Ludwig shook his head some.  
“Nothing happened to me. To tell the truth, I haven't got any confusing memories or anything like that even once so far. I haven't been confused at all… Maybe I've just been exempted?” he asked. Matthew chuckled lightly.  
“Ahaha, I'm so jealous! In my case, it was so-so, I remembered running from the thing with Feliciano, and coming here with Alfred…” Yao nodded firmly.  
“Me, too. But I calmed down, I realized that was nonsense! And then I forgot about it right away!” he said. Arthur nodded as well.  
“When we go through it again, it's a feeling similar to waking up from a dream. When we wake up, we have trouble separating dream from reality, but as soon as we calm down, our good judgement comes back. The first thing to do is calm down.” he said. Kiku looked at everyone.  
“Um… Didn't you… see any rooms other than the ones we've been in so far?” he asked hesitantly. Ivan shook his head.  
“Nope, I've got many memories, but they've all been of rooms we've been in so far.” he said. Feliciano frowned slightly.  
“Did something happen to make you worry?” he asked Kiku.  
“... No.” Kiku said frowning. ‘When we break the clocks, we get false memories that make us confused and less capable of discernment. There is no question about it. It's only because I'm confused… Yes, that has to be it.’ he thought.  
“Okay, are your watches all right? Then let's go to the basement.” Arthur said nodding as he straightened up. Kiku frowned slightly. ‘It's like seeing many movies and being shown so many things that you end up not knowing what is real. But if by any chance that room does exist, that means Feliciano will…’  
“Kiku?” Feliciano asked frowning to Kiku. Kiku looked up to him.  
“Feliciano.” he said.  
“Yeah? What’s wrong?” Feliciano asked frowning worriedly.  
“Are you… Are you hurt somewhere?” Kiku asked hesitantly. Feliciano shook his head.  
“No, I’m not hurt at all.” he said.  
“I see. I'm sorry for asking such a strange question.” Kiku said offering a smile. They both then left the room.

Yao sighed as they walked. “I know this isn't really important, but I just wish I could rest somewhere without having to worry…” he said frowning. Matthew nodded and he sighed slightly.  
“Indeed. I'm so fatigued, I just wish I could lie down for a bit.” he said. Kiku frowned as he thought. ‘We have to be careful… We thought we were being deceived by those memories, but… maybe…’ he frowned as a thought came to him. ‘They could be… a message from someone?’ The thought seemed ridiculous, but… at this point in time it had merit.’ The group explored the floors and eventually found a key in a cabinet. They all inspected the key and as they did so, Feliciano looked to Kiku, who was standing a bit away. He walked over to his friend.  
“Kiku?” he asked softly. Kiku looked up.  
“Yes? What is it?” he asked. Feliciano frowned worriedly.  
“You seem worried… as something been on your mind?” he asked. Kiku looked to him, confused. He had thought he hid his emotions well.  
“Have I?” he asked.  
“I mean… you’ve just seemed off since we broke that clock.” Feliciano said shaking his head. Kiku shook his head.  
“No, I'm fine.” he said. He then frowned when he saw that the Italian’s hands were trembling. “What about you,though? You're shaking a little.” he observed. Feliciano seemed to freeze up.  
“What, really? Isn't it just your… imagination?” he said with an uncomfortable and forced laugh. “Um, l-listen… if you saw anything, it was all a lie; you shouldn't think about it.” he said. Kiku frowned at the odd sentence. He raised an eyebrow and spoke again.  
“... Shouldn't I think about the confusion being a hint? I was just trying to rethink some ideas-!”  
“NO!” Feliciano exclaimed, startling Kiku. His eyes widened at the sudden outburst.  
“Feliciano…?” he asked before being cut off again.  
“Just forget it! Forget it right now! Don't even think about those strange things.” Feliciano said desperately. Ludwig walked over to the two, concerned with the yelling.  
“Feliciano?” he asked putting his hand on the Italian’s shoulder. Feliciano shook him off and quickly left the room. “Feli!” he gasped, quickly going after him. Kiku frowned at that and he sighed. What was he doing wrong? Was Feliciano somehow… no, there’s no way he could be involved in something like this. He was just worried for him, of course. The Italian always cared so much about those around him.

Ludwig chased after the Italian, soon finding him sitting out by the stairs on the first floor, curled up. “Feliciano…” he sighed as he walked in front of him, kneeling down to be level with him. “Did Kiku say something? Why did you get upset?” he asked. Feliciano shook his head, wiping his eyes as he curled up further.   
“It… it’s nothing.” he said softly. “I got upset for no reason.” Ludwig frowned.  
“Feliciano, I had hoped you would trust me enough at this point to not tell me an obvious lie.” he said softly. Feliciano looked up, surprised as tears slipped down his cheeks. Ludwig frowned in concern and he reached forward, gently wiping the tears away. “I just want to help.” he opened his arms for him. Feliciano went forward and hugged his German tightly.  
“I-I know… I don’t think you can h-help…” he said softly. Ludwig frowned slightly.  
“How do you know?” he asked. Feliciano shook his head.  
“I mean…” he was silent for a minute before he spoke. “We’re stuck in here, with confusing memories and it’s as if we’re in a maze with all the searching we have to do. This creature is growing more powerful, we don’t know where Alfred, Francis, or Gilbert are, and… and I’m still being protected by everyone.” he said softly. “I’ve tried so hard… and I feel like I’ll hurt everyone again…” he whispered. Ludwig rubbed his back soothingly.  
“You haven’t hurt anyone.” he said gently. “You know why I protect you Feli… I love you too much to let you get hurt.” he whispered softly, holding him close. Feliciano felt more tears build up in his eyes and they fell. It had been so long… so long since he had heard Ludwig say those words. Longer than Ludwig could even imagine…   
“I love you too…” he whispered before he began to cry again, pressing his face into Ludwig’s chest. “I’m just so scared Lud… I want us to all get out okay… but it may be too late…” he whimpered. Ludwig held him tightly.  
“Don’t say that, you don’t know that those three aren’t alright.” he said. “They’re pretty damn resilient, all three of them.” he rubbed his back still, trying to comfort him. “Now come on, let’s go back to the others. We’ll get out of here together, all of us.” he said gently. Feliciano nodded slightly and he held onto him still.  
“I… I don’t want to let go.” he whispered, knowing that soon they would know, soon he would be isolated, and this love that came from the German would vanish. Ludwig squeezed him more firmly.   
“Truthfully I don’t want you to let go either, but we need to go back.” he said gently as he stood, pulling Feliciano up with him. Feliciano nodded after a moment, slowly pulling back from the hug. Ludwig then took his hand and began to lead him back.   
“Wait.” Feliciano said tugging back slightly. Ludwig looked back and was surprised once more when Feliciano kissed him, throwing his arms over Ludwig’s shoulders. This time, though, Ludwig was able to reciprocate. He returned the kiss firmly, pulling him close and tightly as they kissed. He pressed Feliciano against the wall of the stairs, deepening the kiss and his body pressed against him more when Feliciano let out a soft whine into the kiss. Fuck… god… Ludwig felt so good… it had been so long… He ran his fingers through Ludwig’s hair, feeling the soft locks against his skin, some stiffened by that hair gel he used. “Ludwig…” Feliciano breathed against his lips, overcome by the need to have the German closer to him as he wrapped his legs around Ludwig’s waist. Ludwig’s hands ran down to Feliciano’s thighs and ass, gripping and kneading the the sensitive areas. Feliciano tugged on Ludwig’s hair and relished in the groan that came from him. God… if he could just have this moment… this moment with Ludwig… he would be okay, that would be all he needed, just to-!  
“Ahem.” came a voice from a few feet away from them. Both quickly turned over to see a flushed Kiku, averting his eyes as he stood there. “As much as I understand the release of emotions and stress with this method, I highly suggest you refrain from it until we at least have a room, or until you are not in the open at the very least.” he said quietly. Ludwig carefully set Feliciano down and he nodded, his cheeks a dark red as he fixed his hair.  
“Of course.” he said as he stood up straight. Feliciano blushed as he straightened his clothes some. Then Ludwig took his hand and walked with him after Kiku to meet up with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small bit of steamy action in this chapter! But unfortunately one must not let physical needs risk death ;)


	9. Time

Once back in the room, Yao walked over to them. “Is everything okay?” he asked. Kiku nodded.   
“Yes, everything is fine. Let’s continue onwards.” he said. “We still have to find the three that are missing.” Yao nodded firmly.   
“Yes, let’s.” he said. With that notion, they all headed off to continue the search for the three missing friends. After some time, they came across a room that had a large table and some blue couches in it. They all went through the room as they had many others, inspecting every part of the room. Soon though, Kiku found a tear in a wallpaper in the back corner, exposing brick. He called the group over and, using Ludwig’s pocket knife, he cut the wallpaper to reveal a door to them.  
“A door?!” Arthur gaped slightly at that. “Why would one be hidden behind wallpaper?” he asked. Kiku frowned slightly in thought.  
“I have no idea… but we should proceed with caution.” he said as he reached to open the door. It opened into a long hallway. The group went in with a good deal of caution, walking through the cold hallway.  
“This is definitely incredibly creepy…” Matthew said frowning slightly as they walked. Ivan nodded in agreement.  
“Indeed… it certainly seems to match the air around our alien monster.” he said. “It’s certainly as cold and dead feeling.” Matthew shivered at the comparison, but the Russian was right, it felt like nothing could live here, and he had a sinking feeling even as they were walking. It felt like the walls were closing in on them, but then Kiku found the end of the hallway and another door. They searched the keys they had and unlocked it. They entered a room with a large table in it. Matthew was happy to be out of the enclosed space, but this room’s atmosphere was no less terrifying. Ludwig frowned as they walked inside.  
“I wonder what this room was for…” he said in thought.   
“Ludwig, there’s another door over there, do you have the key we found last?” Kiku asked gesturing towards the door that was on the opposite side of the room. Ludwig nodded and pulled the key out of his breast pocket before handing it to Kiku. The Japanese man then went over and unlocked the door. The door opened to reveal a dark, stone hallway. Matthew gulped and hugged his arms around himself as the group agreed to go forward. They entered quietly and walked down the hallway. They soon entered a caged room and they looked over, all astonished to see Alfred, Francis, and Gilbert locked behind the cage wall! Matthew gasped and ran over, grabbing the bars.   
“Gilbert!!” he exclaimed, tears beading in his eyes. “You’re alright!!” Gilbert ran over and reached through the bars to cup Matthew’s cheeks.   
“Mattie! Oh fuck I’m glad you’re still okay… what’s this bandage?? What happened??” he exclaimed.  
“Alfred! Alfred you fuck what are you doing here??” Arthur exclaimed running over to the door of the cage. “How in the hell did you end up here??”   
“Could we explain after the door is opened? We can’t exactly open the door from in here.” Francis said shaking his head.  
“Ah yes, of course I’ll open it right now.” Kiku said walking over and opening up the door. Once the door was opened, Gilbert shoved Alfred and Francis out of the way to run over to Matthew. Kiku chuckled lightly at the two. He knew that Gilbert only came because he didn’t realize that Matthew had come, and wanted to make sure he was okay, as much as he told everyone else otherwise. Alfred grinned as he came out.  
“Thanks!” he said as he stepped out fully. “This was a good place to take refuge in, but then we couldn't get out and we've been waiting for you guys to get there!” Arthur grabbed Alfred’s arm and pulled him close, crushing him in a hug.  
“You bloody fucking wanker I thought you were dead…” he whispered into the American’s chest. Alfred’s eyes widened before he hugged Arthur close.  
“Sorry…” he whispered into his hair. Yao huffed.  
“This is the only time we're doing you this favour!” he said crossing his arms. Ludwig frowned in confusion.   
“Wait, wait. Gilbert, what were you doing here, again?” he asked looking to his brother. Gilbert looked over at him and he chuckled sheepishly.   
“Ah, that, well you three wouldn’t wake up! I was keeping watch, and then there was loud banging on the door. It wouldn’t stop and I thought I was going crazy!” he said throwing his arms out. “Then I opened the door and it was him!” he said pointing accusingly to Francis, who laughed and held his hands up.   
“His face was a masterpiece. But he came out swinging his sword at me and I got a little injured.” he said holding his bandaged forearm out from where he threw up his arms in defense.   
“Aw, come on, I said I was sorry! It was just a flesh wound, anyway!” Gilbert pouted. Matthew frowned and hugged his arm. Francis smiled lightly and chuckled before he continued.  
“Anyway, while you three snored away, we were exchanging some information, when suddenly-!”  
“-that monster came out of fucking nowhere!” Gilbert cut in. “I wasn't ready to fight and my sword wasn't sharp enough and we got injured. We were in big trouble! Waking you guys up would only make things worse, though, so we fought in the hallway. We were at a disadvantage, so we ran away to the first floor.” he said.   
“Once we got down there, the creature was there already, and it was attacking Alfred. He was having trouble, so we ran in to help him.” he said smirking at the American, who frowned looking up at him.  
“I couldn't fight it alone! What's the problem?! I just thought we'd have three times more chances to beat it-!”  
“So, since we weren't ready to fight, we couldn't fight, and we ran away to this place. We took refuge in that cell, but then we couldn't open it from the inside, so we had no choice but to wait for you guys to find us.” Gilbert said cutting Alfred off. Alfred glared slightly, but his attention was taken by Arthur berating him for trying to take on the thing by himself. Matthew then bit his lip.   
“...we need to explain to them what is going on. Why don't we split up into two groups?” he whispered. Kiku nodded slightly.  
“Indeed. Their injuries aren't that severe, either. I'll keep looking around the basement.” he said.  
“Arthur and I will stay here to lecture Alfred.” Matthew sighed shaking his head at his brother. Ludwig nodded.  
“I have some things to tell them, too.” he said. Alfred pouted, not wanting to be lectured.  
“Then I’ll go with Kiku!” he said. Yao blocked him from moving away.  
“Weren't you listening?” he asked. “We're going to explain to you what's going on, so you have to stay!”  
“Aww, do I have to? Kiku can explain to me, can't you Kiku?” he asked. Kiku sighed in exasperation, but he nodded.  
“Very well. I would be glad to do it. Well, we'll go and look around. We'll see you later.” he said. Feliciano looked up at that.  
“I want to go too!” he said. Kiku shook his head.  
“No, we'll be fine. We'll just look around and we'll be right back. Matthew, Arthur, I'll lecture him on your behalf.” he said. Arthur frowned and he stepped up.  
“No, wait. I'm coming with you. There's something that has been bothering me.” he said. “And I don’t want to…” he sighed, his cheeks pinkening. “I’d rather not be separated from Alfred again just yet.” he said softly. Alfred’s cheeks darkened some and he smiled at that. Kiku nodded slightly.  
“Alright, what was bothering you?” he asked.  
“It's just something I want to check out.” Arthur replied. Kiku nodded again.  
“I see. You may come along, then. We'll be back in about 15 minutes. See you later.” he said before the three left. When they exited the room with the large table, Arthur paused for a moment before speaking.  
“There's something about this room that is bothering me…” he said quietly as he looked around. He then shook his head. “I guess I'll check it out later.” Kiku nodded.  
“Very well. Now, let's hurry.” he said before they left the room. They walked down the long hall and entered the opening from that hall, which led into what looked like a cave.  
“The bloody hell is this…?” Arthur asked to himself as they walked further.   
“I don’t know honestly, let’s investigate.” Kiku said as they walked down the cavern of a hallway. When they got to the end, there was a large opening into an area big enough for a room, and there was a rope ladder against one of the walls. Arthur looked up that wall and gasped.  
“We've got it! I can even see outside!! We can finally get out!” he exclaimed in excitement. Kiku sighed in relief.  
“Thank God… Let's call the others here, quickly!” he said to Arthur, who nodded and ran off to find the others.  
“Well, let’s go.” he said to Alfred before he started to walk away. Alfred took his arm in response.  
“Hold on, Kiku.” he said. “I haven't asked why you brought me along yet.” Kiku chuckled lightly at that.  
“You've grown sharper.” he said simply. Alfred nodded.  
“I've been "reading the atmosphere" a lot today. Thanks to that I got what you were saying earlier at once.” he said. Kiku nodded in understanding.  
“Then… I think I'll have a nice talk to you alone.”

Back in the room with the large table. Arthur took a moment to look at the room, trying to figure out why he was feeling so odd in this room. He frowned as he looked around. “Nothing, either. Maybe… in the back of the bookshelf?” he asked to himself as he walked over. He then spotted a glowing blue seal behind some of the books. “Oh? There's some kind of seal. Huh? A magic circle with my handwriting? What is it doing here?” he frowned as he thought. “What could that be sealing…?” he reached forward and touched it, gasping when a bluish light surrounded him and he felt power surge within himself. He gaped slightly. “Some of my magic is back!” he exclaimed. He then grinned. “This is it! I was worried for a while there, but now I can at least try to fight the thing if I need to!” he said. He then looked over when Alfred and Kiku walked into the room. He raised an eyebrow and walked over. “What took you both so long?” he asked.  
“Did something happen?” Kiku asked, noting the shift in the air. Arthur then nodded and he smiled.  
“You could say that! Next time, I won't be such a burden anymore.” he said. Alfred frowned and tilted his head some in confusion.  
“Were you a burden before?” he asked. Arthur nodded slightly.  
“Well, at least I couldn’t fight as well, but now I have the ability to actually stop it.” he paused and thought for a few seconds. “Well, maybe for two seconds.” Kiku looked at him with confused and raised eyebrows. “Wh-what? If I can replenish it a little more, it can be longer-!”  
“Ah, no-I didn't mean like that. Er, how can I put this?” Kiku said frowning in thought. Alfred then perked up as he looked behind Arthur.  
“Oh! Isn't that a clock? Look, on the shelf!” he exclaimed pointing to the shelf. Kiku looked over.  
“Oh, indeed it is.” he said. Arthur sighed and picked it up.   
“I suppose I should break it now, right?” Kiku frowned and thought for a moment.  
“Since we’ve found an exit, it might not be necessary.” he said looking to Arthur. He nodded and he went to set it down, before Alfred stopped him.   
“Wait, Kiku told me what happened to him when a clock was broken before, I wanna know if that’ll happen to me.” he said frowning. Arthur looked to him.  
“Alfred, love, you don’t want to experience what Kiku went through, even with the memories I had, it was dizzying to say the least…” he said with a worried expression. Alfred shrugged and grinned.  
“Come on, I can handle it!” he said puffing his chest out triumphantly. Kiku chuckled lightly.  
“Just do it, Arthur, before he breaks it himself.” he said. Arthur nodded and broke the clock. Kiku jolted as a wave of memories overcame him and he closed his eyes.  
When he opened them, he was standing with Feliciano, Ludwig, and Gilbert at the hallway before the room with the ladder.  
“Aah, we can finally escape! At long last!” Gilbert said, his face showing immense relief. Feliciano had his arms wrapped around him, looking to the ground.  
“Yeah…” Ludwig sighed when no one moved and he stepped forward.  
“I’ll just go on ahead, we have nothing to lose!” he said as he strode onwards.   
“The others should have come with us…” Kiku sighed lightly. Then a shout echoed through the dark hallway. Feliciano jolted and looked up, his eyes wide and petrified.  
“LUDWIG!” he shouted as he raced down the hall. Gilbert looked up as well.  
“Did you fall??” he questioned as he followed. Kiku quickly followed after him. They got to the end of the hall and the ladder was burnt away, the monster standing where the ladder once was.   
“Everyone! Run!” Ludwig shouted as he pushed them all back out of the room and they raced down the hallway. Feliciano was dragging Ludwig by the hand when the German tripped and fell, letting go of Feliciano’s hand.   
“Ludwig! NO!!” Feliciano shouted as the monster came upon Ludwig and with one strike pierced the large German through the chest, killing him. The memory faded with the sound of Feliciano’s sobs. ‘...Is this one of the possibilities of what may happen from now on? Am I glimpsing an event that might take place, after all? No, I can't just worry about it; I have to do something. Maybe if I let Gilbert know what happened-!’   
The memory began again with Ludwig tripping. Kiku grabbed Gilbert’s arm.  
“Gilbert! Ludwig tripped over something!” he exclaimed. Gilbert looked over with wide eyes and he raced back.  
“Lud!!” he yelled. Ludwig looked over quickly.  
“Just go! My foot is caught! Take Feliciano with you!” Gilbert growled and grabbed Feliciano, yanking him back before he raced to Ludwig.  
“What the hell?! Why can't things ever go right for us?! Just when we were finally going to get out!!” he snarled as he got to Ludwig.  
“Gilbert stop! Just run!!” Ludwig exclaimed. Gilbert shook his head.  
“Everyone else died! We're the only ones who are alive! You three go back! It's just too much!!” he yelled before he was slain by the monster, blood spurting as his lifeless body dropped to the ground. ‘If I call him to a halt, the others will lose their lives, too… Whether we are countries or people it has no relevance in this place. I can't forget that. I-I feel so helpless! If I… If I did something before-I can't let Ludwig fall over in the first place. I have to do something before that can happen. If I do that, I'm sure it'll be alright!’  
The memory faded back to where they were in the room with the now burnt ladder and the monster. ‘Here! If I do something right here-!’ Kiku ran up and attacked the monster, making it stumble back. ‘This is the best case scenario so far!’ his thoughts were cut short when the monster attacked again, throwing Kiku back.  
“Kiku!!” Ludwig gasped. Kiku grimaced and he tried to get up. ‘It's no good… Besides, the more memories I get, the stronger the enemy becomes… Any more of this-!’ Feliciano then stepped back, his face falling as his voice began shaking when he spoke.  
“I knew it… Kiku… Ludwig… Gilbert. I'm sorry. Looks like we couldn't make it again… It's got stronger than in the beginning… I can't do this alone…” he said quietly.  
“Feli?” Gilbert asked, looking confused.  
“Come on, just run-!” Ludwig exclaimed.  
“I'm sorry. I made a mistake yet again…” Feliciano said, his eyes watering. Ludwig’s eyes widened when he saw the monster running for the Italian, and he ran over.  
“You idiot!” he yelled as he wrapped his arms around Feliciano, his back to the monster when it struck.  
“Lud!! Feli!!” Gilbert shouted as it attacked. It slashed and struck hard, and the screams of the two were silenced quickly, both of them collapsing onto the floor in a pool of their blood, Feliciano’s eyes staring wide and seeing nothing. The sight of his friend’s glassy eyes jolted Kiku out of the memory, though his vision still swam in darkness. ‘I would still lose my friends in this case… What can I do…? We might as well not come here at all. But if we do that, I'm sure you are going to show me yet another future, isn't that right? You'll only tell me about the worst ends in which no matter what choice I make, I'll end up losing someone! What can I do? What's the best thing I can do?’ His vision came back and he saw Alfred shaking Arthur’s shoulders gently, looking relieved when the Englishman blinked and responded to the movements.   
“Alfred?” he asked looking up to the American. Alfred hugged him tightly.  
“Shit that was scary… both of you just… you looked like you weren’t even here…” he whispered. Arthur hugged him back, burying his face into Alfred’s shoulders. Then he pulled back and looked up to Alfred.  
“What about you? Are you alright?” he asked. Alfred nodded, his hands trembling.  
“That was… which memories are real again?” he asked. Arthur rubbed his shoulders.  
“Try to sort it out while we go back, alright, love? If you still can't figure it out, ask Ludwig. He isn't being affected for some reason.” he said. Alfred nodded slightly at that.  
“Right…” he said softly before he frowned, cupping Arthur’s face and looking at him closely. Arthur frowned.  
“Alfred?” he asked in confusion.   
“Arthur, you look unfocused. How many fingers am I holding up?” Alfred asked holding two fingers up to him. Arthur frowned and stepped back.  
“Huh? Two fingers, obviously. We don't have time for this nonsense.” he said shaking his head. Kiku held his head, still reeling from the memories. ‘The possibilities are too many. It's too much for me to deal with… I feel like my head is going to explode. What can I do now? I can't do this alone…’ He looked up and saw the two heading back into the cell room. He followed them in. He had to pretend like everything was okay. Arthur went in first and explained the situation and how they found a room with a ladder to get out. Ivan perked up.  
“Oh, you found an exit?” he asked.  
“Yeah! We can finally escape! Come on, let's get out of here.” Arthur nodded quickly.  
“Shouldn’t we hurry?” Feliciano asked wrapping his arms around Ludwig’s arm. Alfred grinned at that.  
“We already have an exit secured! I want to explore a little! All I've seen was the basement; I want to go upstairs, too!” he said happily.   
“We have to make sure that the rope isn’t rotten.” Ludwig said in thought. “We'll go ahead and see if there isn't any problem.” he said. Gilbert turned to Matthew, squeezing his hands.  
“You go with the others, I’ll stay with the others and make sure they stay safe.” he said grinning. Matthew frowned and he looked up to Gilbert.  
“But… we only just found you.” he said softly. “I don’t want to be separated already…” Gilbert reached to caress his cheek.  
“Trust me, I don’t either, but it seems like they want to split up, and without you there will be someone without a partner, you keep them out of trouble, okay?” he asked with a wink. Matthew blushed slightly, but he didn’t respond. Gilbert sighed softly. “Listen, I know that trouble seems to follow me, and with this… I’m afraid something will happen. I’ll be fine, I’m sure, but I’ll make sure to find you right after we make sure the rope is fine to climb, alright?” he asked. Matthew nodded and looked up to him.  
“You promise?” he asked softly. Gilbert nodded and kissed his forehead.  
“Of course.” he said squeezing his hands. “Now go on with them, I’ll see you when we meet up again.” Matthew nodded and he smiled lightly as he head out with the other group. Gilbert nodded after him and then he put his hand on Kiku’s shoulder, stopping him from leaving. “Kiku, stay back; I want to have a word with you. The others can wait in the other room.” he said. Kiku frowned and looked to him.  
“Very well.” he said. Gilbert then crossed his arms when everyone else left.  
“So, what's been eating you?” he asked. Kiku’s eyes widened slightly.  
“What do you mean?” he asked. Gilbert sighed and frowned.  
“I haven't been through it yet, but… you see things, don't you? When we break the clocks. C'mon, spit it out.” he said. Kiku was silent for a moment before he spoke.  
“... I'm sorry. I was trying not to show it.” Gilbert shook his head.  
“You can tell me the details later. Just tell me the most important things now.” he said in response. Kiku bit his lip, looking down to his shoes.  
“... I'm… not sure what it means, but… From now on… if I make a choice, I'll lose someone, and if I follow a different path to save them, I'll lose someone else…” he said softly. Gilbert frowned and he waited for Kiku to continue speaking. “I tried several options, but it was no use… The more I tried, the stronger the thing became. I can't do this alone anymore-!”  
“You can't defeat it on your own? Then how did you defeat it until now?” Gilbert asked, cutting him off.  
“When it was necessary to fight… I defeated it with Feliciano and Ludwig… and with you. I also fought alongside Ivan and Yao-!”  
“Huh! Why did you stop there?!” Gilbert asked frowning. Kiku blanched, taken aback by that.  
“I… I’m sorry.”  
“You tried several options, right? But did you talk to anyone about it before you tried them?” the Prussian asked. “Do you really think you can come up with a solution all on your own when this fight involves so many people?” he asked.  
“Oh…” Kiku whispered. He didn’t think about that honestly.  
“You should have said something before! But I'm glad you told me! Kesese!” he grinned and laughed. “Now no one will have to die!” Kiku blinked and then he looked up to Gilbert in shock.  
“What? Wait a m-Gilbert!” he exclaimed.  
“What? I'm sleepy! I spent all night keeping watch. C'mon, let's go!” Gilbert said shrugging before he walked out of the room. Kiku caught up with him and stopped him.  
“Listen! If-If we go to that place, Ludwig will-Ah, I mean, you would be risking your own life, too… and even Feliciano-!” Kiku stammered, trying to explain himself. Gilbert put a hand up in his face, stopping him.  
“State your opinion precisely and concisely. You think too much. That's why you're forgetting something simple!” he said grinning.  
“Something… something simple?” Kiku asked, frowning in confusion.  
“First you remember one thing! When you're that worried about stuff, you should tell people. You have to let us work together and give yourself some breathing space. I'll give you points if you remember one more thing.” Gilbert grinned happily before he left the room. Kiku blinked and then held his head, frowning in confusion.  
“Since I've glimpsed at so many possibilities… I'm sure the thing has got stronger. With an enemy that grows progressively stronger… What can I possibly do…?” he whispered to himself. He sighed and he walked out of the room, then down to the hallway before the room with the ladder. Gilbert grinned as he put his hands on his hips.  
“Aah, we can finally escape! At long last!” he said, his face showing immense relief. Feliciano had his arms wrapped around him, looking to the ground.  
“Yeah…” Ludwig sighed when no one moved and he stepped forward.  
“I’ll just go on ahead, we have nothing to lose!” he said as he strode onwards. Kiku’s eyes widened.  
“Oh! Ludwi-!” his words fell on deaf ears as Ludwig went forward. ‘There's no time left. I can't call out to him, nor can I physically stop him. I'm sure our enemy is stronger, too…’ Kiku’s eyes widened as he had another thought. ‘Hm? Wait a minute. Our enemy is definitely stronger. Whenever I glimpsed a memory, its strength and speed had increased greatly. But it wasn't… just the enemy…’ He then jolted when a shout echoed through the dark hallway. Feliciano jolted and looked up, his eyes wide and petrified.  
“LUDWIG!” he shouted as he raced down the hall. Gilbert looked up as well.  
“Did you fall??” he questioned.   
“Let’s go!” Kiku said quickly followed after him, Gilbert hot on his heels. They got to the end of the hall and the ladder was burnt away, the monster standing where the ladder once was. “There it is.” he said frowning deeply.  
“Everyone, run!” Ludwig exclaimed.  
“Let’s go, quickly!!” Feliciano gasped sharply. Gilbert’s eyes widened, and then he grinned.  
“Hahah! I see now. This is what he meant!”  
“Come on, just run!” Ludwig said quickly turning. Feliciano grabbed his hand.  
“All together! That's it! If we run, we can still make it!!” he exclaimed.  
“Yes!” Ludwig said quickly. Kiku frowned, facing off against the monster. ‘Our enemy maybe tough, but I'm still faster. I can't do this alone. However…’  
“Kiku!” Gilbert shouted, tugging him down the hallway. They ran, and right before Ludwig fell, Kiku tugged Gilbert’s arm.  
“Wait! Ludwig tripped over a rock!” he said.  
“Lud!” Gilbert gasped as he turned around.  
“Shit! Not in this place-Go!! I can't get this vine off!!” Ludwig yelled.  
“Ludwig!!” Feliciano cried out. Gilbert raced down the hall towards Ludwig.  
“Kiku! Have you got your answer yet?!” he yelled as he went to face the beast, attacking it hard enough to make it stumble back.  
“Gilbert! Why?? You need to go!” Ludwig snapped.   
“Not on your life, West.” Gilbert smirked. Feliciano then ran over.  
“Ludwig! Are you okay??” he asked as he quickly went to undo the vine that had caught his foot.  
“Feli…” Ludwig breathed as he sat up. Feliciano got the vine off and he quickly helped him up, hugging him tightly. Kiku’s eyes widened when he saw everything falling into place. ‘Ahh, I see. My mistake was to solve everything on my own. And the reason why we kept being defeated was my narrow-mindedness. I didn't observe anyone but the enemy.’  
“This is my answer! The enemy is stronger but so are we. If we all join forces, we can defeat it!” he said as he ran over to Gilbert’s aid.  
“Hah!” Gilbert grinned as he blocked another attack. “Well done!”  
“You idiots!! Why did you come back?!” Ludwig snapped, holding Feliciano tightly. Gilbert smirked.  
“You want to know why I came back? Because… I can't think of a reason why I wouldn't help my little brother!” he said before he began attacking the creature again. Ludwig’s eyes widened and then he nodded, going to attack the creature along with them. Feliciano ran to help. The monster was definitely stronger this time, sending attacks it hadn’t before, throwing blow after blow. “Come on! I know we can do it!” Gilbert yelled as he kept attacking it. Finally, finally they were able to hit it hard enough to get it to stumble back, caught off guard. “Let's just get out of here! We can't physically defeat it!” the Prussian yelled as he turned to run. Ludwig turned and frowned, seeing Feliciano looking almost sick, the color gone from his face.  
“Feli! You look pale, are you okay??” he questioned. Feliciano shook his head.  
“I-I’m fine, it’s okay, let’s go.” he said. Ludwig nodded and grabbed him, lifting him up and carrying him out. Kiku quickly followed. ‘Thank God! I can't feel completely relieved, but this is still something!’ They ran out of the hallway, and Gilbert smacked into Ivan.   
“Oh, you're back. What's the matter?” the tall Russian asked, cocking his head in confusion at their panicked state.  
“We can't use that exit! It's been burnt out! We have to run now!” Kiku exclaimed. Ivan frowned and his eyes widened.  
“I see. Good thing you found me. Let's hurry. The others should be back soon now.” he said before he led them away quickly. As they were running, Ivan grabbed Francis. “No time to explain, we can’t use the exit.” he said as he dragged the Frenchman along. They ran into the room with the large table, and Kiku went to open the door to the cell room.  
“It won’t open, I’ve tried, if we need to hurry we need to find another door!” Yao said quickly as he went over. They ran down the other hallway that led from the room, and Gilbert raced over when he saw Matthew.  
“Birdie, it’s time to run!” he exclaimed throwing Matthew over his shoulder and running.   
“Arthur and Alfred are in that room!” Matthew said pointing to an open door. Gilbert nodded and led the group in there. Alfred and Arthur quickly turned to face them when they entered.  
“The rope has been burnt away.” Kiku said quickly. “We don’t have an escape.” Arthur’s eyes widened and he slammed his fist into the wall.  
“You can't be serious! Just when we thought we were finally going to get out…”  
“Lock the door!” Yao exclaimed. Kiku ran to the door and locked it quickly, finally giving everyone time to catch their breaths.  
“Wow. So, now we're all assembled in this tiny room.” Alfred sighed leaning against the wall. Kiku frowned, still trying to catch his breath. ‘Thank God… thank God!! Oh, dear… For a moment there, I really feared we weren't going to make it.’ Ludwig growled and clenched his fists.  
“Damn it! Even though we're all together here, our situation hasn't got any better! Now we're locked up in here and that fucking monster is after our asses!” he yelled. Gilbert walked over and patted his shoulder.  
“West, don't be so pessimistic. What matters is that we're alive. Besides with so many nations gone, maybe someone will come to rescue us.” Kiku frowned slightly as he felt a shiver wash over him. ‘... How odd I… I feel as though I'm forgetting something important…’ Yao nodded slightly.  
“Besides, we still need to connect the time we spend here with the time in the outside world. We have to keep breaking the clocks.” Ivan nodded in agreement.  
“Yeah, that's the best short-cut. Except we'll need our strength somehow… You'll probably agree with me, but… we're quite tired. Not from fighting the enemy, but running away all the time." Ludwig’s shoulders slumped and he leaned against the wall, running his fingers through his hair.  
“Maybe escaping really is impossible… And now… we're probably going to get eaten one by one. That's what I would do, if I were the thing!” Kiku frowned as he watched. ‘That's right. Ludwig said that and Gilbert got mad at him… and then what?’ Gilbert frowned and he walked over, grabbing his collar.  
“That's enough, West!! We only lost one way out! There are still many other ways!” he snapped, glaring up at Ludwig. Kiku held his head. This was all so familiar! If only he could remember… Ludwig looked to Gilbert remorsefully.  
“... Gilbert. I'm sorry. And thank you… for what you did earlier. This time, I intend to make it up to you for saving me. I'm sorry I was a burden.” he said patting Gilbert’s shoulder. Feliciano reached out to Ludwig.  
“Ludwig… Ludwig it’s okay.” he said softly. Ludwig shook his head before Feliciano could say anything else.  
“No. If I can't protect my allies when I have the chance, then my training was pointless. At the very least, I shouldn't be such a burden to you. I'm sorry to you, too. You've been fighting well, without running away. I really appreciate it.” he said smiling warmly to Feliciano. The Italian bit his lip and looked down to his feet.  
“What?... Oh, um. Thanks…” he whispered. Francis stepped forward, grinning.  
“But you know, I think we can definitely get out now. You see, this is the first time that-!”  
“Please…” Feliciano said softly, cutting Francis off as he stepped back towards the door, looking at everyone. “Please, if you get out, just keep running. No matter what, don't look back, don't forget about me, don't blame me, don't cry, and time-!”  
“Feliciano… you’re shaking…” Matthew said softly, stepping forward. Ludwig stepped forward as well.  
“Feliciano, what are you saying?” he asked. Kiku’s eyes widened as it all rushed back to him.  
“Feliciano!” he gasped. Then the door burst open and the monster stood behind Feliciano. The whole group jolted back.  
“What??”  
“Feliciano!!” Kiku yelled. Feliciano’s eyes watered as he looked to everyone.  
“... It was scary, but… but… It was fun.” he said quietly.  
“Feliciano!!” Ludwig shouted, his eyes wide and terrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone for a couple days, I had both work and I was visiting family, but I'm back and hopefully I'll be doing more updates!   
> (Though with my work scheduling me more it may take a tad bit longer, but hopefully not too much! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!)


	10. Truth

Kiku and Alfred were standing in the hallway before the room with the ladder. Both were talking.  
“So, what did you want to tell me, Kiku?” he asked.  
“You still have strength left, don't you?” Kiku asked, looking up to him. Alfred grinned and puffed out his chest proudly.  
“Yeah, I'm still a lot stronger than you guys.” he boasted. Kiku nodded.  
“In that case… Why don't you try being a hero?” he asked. Alfred raised an eyebrow, but his grin still stayed in place.  
“Wow, now that's an interesting idea. Tell me more!” he said happily.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Alfred and Arthur stood in the middle of the small, empty room. Arthur growled as he tried summoning a magic circle and it flickered before vanishing.  
“Shit! As I thought, I can't use my power.” he grumbled quietly. Alfred frowned as he thought.  
“Arthur.”  
“What?”  
“You can stop the thing for two seconds if you summon up all your magic power now?” Alfred asked, looking to Arthur seriously. Arthur flinched at that and he grimaced.  
“Sh-Shut up! Don't make that sullen face like Kiku did! You don't really believe me, do you?! You still think I'm strange-!”  
“So? Can't you try doing better than that?” Alfred asked, cutting him off. Arthur frowned as he thought for a moment.  
“It might be longer if I try so hard that I'll pass out. I can't do it unless I get quite serious. I-I can try doing it in three seconds at most.” he said looking up. Alfred then put his hands on Arthur’s shoulders.  
“Didn't you get it when you saw Kiku's face?” he asked. Arthur frowned and he looked to his shoes.  
“Well, I thought, ‘That's harsh, haha!’...”  
“Arthur.”  
“What?!” Arthur snapped looking up to him.  
“Two seconds is long enough. To save the life of one nation… you know.” Alfred said seriously. Arthur blinked, looking incredibly confused. “Sorry, but if you pass out, I'll carry you on my shoulders and run. So, would be… my backup?” he asked. Arthur frowned, seeing it plainly that Alfred was planning something.  
“Talk.” he said simply, crossing his arms over his chest.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Francis, Ivan, Matthew, and Yao were sitting around the table in the room before the cell room, all with serious looks on their faces.  
“So, it looks like Feliciano could be in danger, so Alfred said that we have to be ready to fight right away.” Ivan said looking around at the three before him. Francis nodded and leaned back in the chair he was sitting in.  
“Ah, that's why he said he would go up and was doing the look-ahead. But we are nations, aren't we? I don't see why he'd worry about something like that…” he said in thought. Matthew shook his head.  
“No. As long as we're here, we should think of ourselves the same way as ordinary people. In other words, that we can… die any time.” he said softly. Yao’s eyes widened and he huffed slightly.  
“Are you serious?! It'd be such a bother if I died! But I can't just watch a fellow nation die and do nothing about it, either!” he said sitting up. Ivan nodded slightly.  
“It's settled, then. We have to be ready to fight at any moment, because we don't know where it'll come from.” he said. Yao frowned slightly.  
“Can't we use that exit?” he asked.  
“If we can, that will be our first priority. But I have the feeling that we won't be able to get out of here so easily. If by any chance we can't use it…” he trailed off, remembering what Gilbert had said before the four went off.  
“That's a sign that Feliciano is in danger. It's very likely that it'll come back, so shouldn't we be careful with the doors and such?” Francis asked looking to Ivan.  
“That's right. I'll be waiting in the closet spot. I'm really fatigued, but maybe I can shield them.” he said. Francis frowned in thought. ‘Italy dying… You wouldn't let that happen, would you? I can't take your place, but I can still try to do something…’  
“I think I'll also wait as close as possible to them. Maybe our enemy will retreat upon looking at my beautiful face.” he grinned before flipping his hair over his shoulder.  
“Then I'll wait in the room after that one. If you're defeated, I'll do something!!” Yao said nodding. Matthew nodded as well.  
“Then I'll be in the one after that. It looks like Alfred is working over some strategy, and if anything happens, I'll spread the word.” he said. Ivan nodded and he stood up.  
“Let's go back? If it's bad, they'll be back soon. With results.” he said straightening his coat. Matthew nodded as he stood up as well.  
“Yes.”  
“You can count on me!” Yao grinned happily. Francis smiled at that.  
“Oui.” he said proudly.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Feliciano!!” Ludwig shouted, going to run forward before Alfred raced forward and got in between Feliciano and the beast, blocking the attack before they were both thrown to the ground.  
“Tch! That kinda hurt.” he grumbled.  
“Alfred!” Matthew gasped at that.  
“--!! Wait! You'd better not move!” Ivan said quickly.  
“Arthur!” Alfred yelled, pushing Feliciano back to the crowd where Ludwig grabbed him and hugged him close to his chest.  
“Yeah! That really bought some time!” Arthur smirked as he held his arms out, summoning four magic circles around the beast. “Impedimenta!!!” He yelled, his body straining with the effort to hold this. The monster tried to move, but was frozen in time.  
“Feliciano, stay behind me.” Ludwig growled standing in front of Feliciano, whose eyes were wide with disbelief.  
“It… it can’t be…” he whispered.  
“Get your weapons!! Let's all attack together!” Gilbert yelled pulling out his sword. Arthur swayed, sweat forming on his forehead as his hands shook.  
“That’s good, Arthur! You can stop now!” Alfred called out. With that, Arthur’s eyes rolled back and he fell, the magic circles vanishing. Alfred stood in front of him before the group attacked the beast, all nine nations battling the beast to try and get it back. They had to do it! In the end, it was too much for the creature and it vanished, leaving the group panting heavily.  
“W-We defeated it…?” Kiku asked, almost in disbelief.  
“I-I'm so awesome…” Gilbert panted with a grin. Matthew chuckled lightly at that. Alfred then quickly turned and knelt down, lifting Arthur’s torso up.  
“Is he okay??” Yao asked frowning. Alfred held his hand in front of Arthur’s mouth and he sighed in relief.  
“He’s fine, just needs some rest.” he said as he carefully lifted him up into his arms. “I really wish we could give him a good place to sleep.” he said frowning. Ludwig frowned in thought.  
“...I see. I'll show you the way.” he said. Kiku frowned and looked to him in confusion.  
“What?” he asked.  
“I've experimented it several times, so I think it's all right. Kiku, remember that thick door on the second floor?” Ludwig asked turning to him. Kiku nodded as he remembered.  
“Yes, I remember.” he said.  
“Let's go there… Finally, I'm going to be of some use, too.” Ludwig said as he turned towards the door.  
“W-wait!” Feliciano called. Ludwig turned to him.  
“We need to get moving, we don’t know when it’ll come back.” he said. Feliciano nodded and he turned to Alfred.  
“Just… thank you.” he said softly. Alfred nodded and he smiled.  
“No problem, dude. We’re all here for you.” he said. His tone then got more serious. “You need to remember that.” Feliciano flinched and then he nodded, going back to Ludwig. The German pulled him close as they walked.  
“Please… please Feli, don’t do that again.” he whispered. Feliciano frowned and looked down as they walked, nodding quietly. The group walked to the room on the second floor and stood before the large iron door. “Alright, let’s go in.” he said as he opened the door and led the group inside. The darkness engulfed them all as the door shut behind them.  
“Ouch!” Kiku gasped when he was pushed against the wall.  
“Who stepped on my foot!” Yao snapped trying to get through.  
“So, who’s the one on top of me?~” Francis purred as he tried to turn some.  
“Hold on, there was a switch somewhere… ah!” Ludwig flicked on a switch and they all nearly fell into a giant room with tables, a kitchen, and two rows of beds. Kiku gaped as he walked forward.  
“Huh. Ludwig… did you…?” Ivan asked looking to him.  
“Wh-What the heck is this place?!” Yao questioned. Ludwig nodded in satisfaction.  
“Hm. That went over better than I thought. Everyone is here. I'm relieved that we didn't lose anybody. And I'm glad that we made it here in time.”  
“Awesome! What is this place? Did you make it, West?” Gilbert asked with a grin. Feliciano looked around the room.  
“... It's amazing…” he said softly.  
“How did you do this?” Francis asked. Before Ludwig could answer, Arthur stirred from Alfred’s arms, grunting as his eyes opened.  
“Arthur? You’re awake!” Alfred grinned. Arthur blinked in confusion as he looked around. His eyes widened and he gripped Alfred’s shirt.  
“Wh-where the hell am I?! Don't tell me we… got out?” he asked, looking to Alfred with hopeful eyes. Alfred frowned at that and Arthur deflated. “... I guess not…” he said softly.  
“We have much to talk about. However, our first priority now is to sleep. We had better sleep first and talk later.” Ludwig said. Gilbert nodded in agreement.  
“Yeah, if we try to talk now, I won't get anything…” he sighed. Yao yawned slightly and arched his back as he stretched.  
“I'm hungry, too, but… I want to sleep first. Let's just do some basic healing and then sleep.” he said. Matthew turned to Alfred.  
“Alfred, didn't you get hurt when you blocked the first attack? Give me your arm; I'll take care of it. Is there a first-aid kit here or anything of the sort?” he asked turning to Ludwig. He nodded in response.  
“Yes, on that shelf in the back. Feel free to use it. Those who don't have any problems, sleep. There is no need to keep watch. I've already experimented it countless times.” he said before turning to Feliciano and leading him to the bed. “You need sleep.” he said softly. “You look more exhausted than when we first tried resting.” Feliciano nodded quietly, accepting the invitation when Ludwig climbed into the first bed and held his arm out to him. He crawled into the bed, feeling somewhat safe for the first time in a while.  
“Birdie, finish up with Alfred and please come to bed with me. I’d like to hold you again.” Gilbert said softly as Matthew got the first aid kit. Matthew nodded and he turned around, pressing his lips to Gilbert’s gently.  
“I’ll be right there, please go rest.” he said softly. Gilbert nodded and squeezed his hand before he went to the beds. Kiku sighed as he looked around. He walked over to the beds and noticed that Ludwig was awake still, holding Feliciano.  
“What's the matter? If you want to sleep, you can, there’s nothing stopping you.” he said. Kiku sighed and shook his head.  
“I… feel rather unreliable all of a sudden. Did you do all this on your own?” he asked.  
“Well… When I first came here, it was almost completed, so… maybe it is more correct to say that someone else made it.” Ludwig replied shifting some. Kiku looked around.  
“This room alone… It must have taken months, years.” he said quietly.  
“Maybe… yeah. Oh I just remembered. The room in the back has bathrooms and bathtubs. They looked like they were Japanese style if I remember correctly. I tried my best to finish them.”  
“Ah, that makes me very happy. I'll go and take a bath.” Kiku said with a light smile.  
“Yes, that will help with the fatigue.” Ludwig nodded. “And I’ll try to get some sleep.” Kiku nodded and walked away from the beds. Matthew, having finished tending to Alfred’s wounds, helped lead Arthur to a bed before he went to the bed that Gilbert was laying in. Kiku walked over to Alfred, who was about to head to the kitchen.  
“Alfred.” he said, stopping the American.  
“Hm? Yeah, what’s up?” he asked.  
“Thank you for what you did for Feliciano. Since I broke a clock without consulting anyone else, I became so preoccupied with another matter that I completely forgot about that.” Kiku replied. Alfred grinned at that.  
“I'm up to anything if I can be a hero! No need to thank me!” he said happily. Kiku chuckled and he nodded.  
“Certainly, you were both heros back then. You even told Arthur and all the others.” he said.  
“Hm? Oh, yeah. When we took refuge in that room, Arthur hadn't said anything, had he? He said he was going to do some kind of spell or something, and if by any chance there wasn't enough time, I'd have to buy him time. And there really wasn't enough time, so I attacked with my awesome hero strength, and when the spell was done, it succeeded in slowing down our enemy.” Alfred grinned happily. Kiku nodded in understanding.  
“That's why you both stood waiting in the back. Everyone else also acted quickly. Telling them beforehand turned out to be the key. Thank you.” Alfred smiled wistfully.  
“It's because… I don't want to lose any of my friends. And it looks like Feliciano is hiding something.” he said with a frown when he finished speaking. Kiku sighed and he nodded.  
“Indeed. Everyone has noticed it by now. I hope he will tell us tomorrow, though…” he said crossing his arms. Alfred was quiet before he shook his head.  
“I wonder if he really will. He has that determined face, as if he thinks that ordinary methods won't work.” Kiku nodded grimly.  
“Yes, it is just as you say. I can't help but think that he looks like someone who has been standing all alone in a far away place for a very long time.” Alfred then grinned.  
“Then we have to run over there and catch him.” he said earnestly. Kiku chuckled and nodded.  
“Definitely. We should all catch him together.” he said smiling, letting Alfred go to the bed where Arthur was laying before he decided to go to the bathroom. He really did feel like he needed a bath…

Feliciano stood in the room with the fireplace with Ivan, Yao, Ludwig, and Arthur. Gilbert walked into the room, his face looking distraught. Feliciano ran over to him.  
“Gilbert! What happened to Kiku?!” he questioned desperately.  
“...He fell asleep. Very… deeply.” Gilbert said quietly. Ludwig’s eyes widened and he sat down hard in one of the chairs.  
“No…” Yao whispered in shock, gripping the back of one of the chairs for support.  
“S… now we're the only ones left.” Ivan whispered. Feliciano’s eyes widened and then grew misty, tears filling his eyes.  
“K-Kiku is-!”  
“Shit! We failed again!” Arthur snapped. “What are we going to do?! We've got the key. Now-!” Ludwig shook his head, his face pained.  
“When we've lost so many? I can't.” he said quietly. Ivan shook his head.  
“Yeah, there is no point.” he said quietly. Arthur stood firm for a few more seconds before his face crumpled, desperately wishing for the hand he could no longer hold.  
“Yeah, I agree… Let's leave this key to our next selves.” he whispered.  
“I’m sorry…” Feliciano whispered. Ludwig looked up to face him.  
“Why are you sorry?” he asked.  
“Feli, you didn’t do anything-!”  
“I'm sorry.” Feliciano cut Gilbert off. “It was me… It's my fault. Because… because I-!”

Feliciano jolted out of sleep and sat up quickly, finding the safe room darkened around him.  
“A… a dream.” he whispered. He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling his knees up to his chest. “I guess it wasn't quite a dream. I hate this… Even here, it's affecting me. It's because I remember so many things… Maybe it's backlash? I'm beginning to forget the memories from long ago.” he said softly, looking down to Ludwig. “When did I first meet Ludwig? What was the alliance that bound us? When I was little I made some kind of promise to someone, didn't I?” he shook his head, pulling his knees closer. “Maybe I'll be able to remember if I can get out of here? Everyone is… breathing, right?” he looked around to everyone that was sleeping. “Yeah, Kiku is even moving. Thank God. I didn't know this place existed, and I really didn't think that I'd still be alive… If I've come this far, the next thing to do is…” he trailed off as he thought. He had to get rest. Now was not the time. He could feel his large German wrapping his arms around his waist in his sleep. Yes, Ludwig was here, everyone was here. He had to rest now, rest with everyone. He lay down once more, causing Ludwig to stir.  
“Feli?” he mumbled in a half awake state. Feliciano nuzzled his neck gently, trying to move closer.  
“... Sorry… I had a nightmare.” he said quietly. Ludwig nodded and pulled Feliciano tighter to his chest, trying to soothe him.  
“Did you wanna talk about it?” Ludwig asked. Feliciano shook his head.  
“No… I’d rather sleep.” he said softly. Ludwig nodded and hugged Feliciano close, kissing his forehead before he drifted off once more. Feliciano closed his eyes, trying to sleep again.

The next morning found the group sitting at the large table in the room, all eating some well deserved food.  
“Well. Everyone has rested, so can we begin our conference now?” Ludwig asked. Ivan sat back in content and nodded.  
“Sure. I'm full and I don't feel tired anymore so be my guest~” he said.  
“Feliciano's food is really good. He's been working so hard. I'm impressed.” Yao nodded smiling. Feliciano giggled and smiled brightly.  
“Thanks.”  
“Well? Who's going to speak first?” Francis asked. Ludwig looked like he was going to speak, but then Matthew spoke up.  
“Alfred, this all started with a single word from you, but you have nothing to do with the thing, do you? Is it safe to assume that it's just a coincidence that others think it looks like Tony? That's all I want you to confirm.” he said. Alfred blinked in confusion.  
“Hm? You all think they look alike? I don't think so, though… Anyway, I definitely have nothing to do with it.” Gilbert frowned and he sighed.  
“Yeah? Then, if we are to believe you, we're in even bigger trouble.” Alfred looked up in confusion.  
“...You don't blame me?” he asked.  
“What?” Kiku asked.  
“It's pretty much my fault that you got dragged into this. If I hadn't bugged you about it, none of this would have happened.” Alfred said frowning lightly. Feliciano bit his lip slightly. “I thought you'd blame me more. I'm rather disappointed. But it's okay for you to get mad at me now.”  
“Alfred…” Kiku frowned. Yao sighed and he sat back.  
“Haah… Is that really what you think?” he asked. Arthur frowned looking to Alfred.  
“You really have hamburgers for brains, love. Stop spouting nonsense.” he shook his head. Matthew shook his head as well.  
“Well, sure, this may have started with a word from you… but we're the ones who went along with it, eh?” Francis nodded firmly at that.  
“Yes, yes. We could have chosen not to come, but we chose to come with you.”  
“You're the one who laid down the rails, but we're the ones who chose to walk on it. It's not your fault.” Ivan agreed.  
“I see. Thank you. If you say so, I…” Alfred trailed off, looking down at his lap. Feliciano frowned quietly.  
“That's why we need to work together. By joining forces like never before, we'll make it through.” Ludwig asked.  
“Hey…” Feliciano trailed. Everyone looked over to him.  
“What?” Ludwig asked.  
“Um, well. Can you listen to me? There is… something I want to tell you.”  
“Sure, go ahead.” Kiku nodded. Feliciano bit his lip.  
“Then, can you all come with me to the basement? If we're not there, I can't talk.” Gilbert frowned in confusion.  
“The basement? Can't you just talk here?” he asked. Feliciano wrung his hands and gripped the edge of his shirt.  
“It's really important, so… please. I feel I'll only be able to talk if we're there.” he said softly.  
“Hmph. I see. Then let's all head down there. But before that, I also have somewhere I want to go?” Ludwig said standing up.  
“Where?” Arthur asked.  
“The cave with the burnt ropes. I saw something lying on the ground, but I couldn't pick it up at the time.” Ludwig said.  
“Alright. Let's all go together, then.” Kiku nodded as he stood up. Feliciano nodded.  
“Yes, thank you.” he said. The group left the room and began the trek down to the hallway where the rope ladder had been. Once they arrived there, Ludwig stepped forward. He stopped and had a puzzled look on his face. Kiku frowned and he walked over to him.  
“What's the matter, Ludwig?” he asked.  
“Nothing… I mean, well… I just wanted to remove the obstacle that made me fall over yesterday.” the German replied almost distantly. Kiku nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow as to why Ludwig looked puzzled.  
“Yes. That's a good idea. Someone could trip over it and get hurt.” Ludwig nodded.  
“Yes, exactly… but… it's odd. I can't find a single vine or stone.” he said turning to look at Kiku. Alfred stepped back, his eyes widening with horror.  
“What?! What the hell, it's like a horror movie! Stop saying those things!” he exclaimed. Ivan frowned in confusion.  
“Well, it's dark here. Did you look properly?” he asked. Ludwig nodded in reply.  
“I'm sure it was right here. But there's nothing. No obstacle. There is no stone, no vine, nothing. One could even think there was never anything to begin with.” he said in thought.  
“Hm,” Francis hummed as he scratched his chin, “it's like someone tripped you and wouldn't let you move.” he said looking over to Ludwig. The German paled slightly as he put some more thought into it.  
“A-actually… I only assumed it was a vine, but now that I think about it… well… It felt… like someone had grabbed my ankle…” he said quietly. Alfred shuddered, his eyes wide and his face pale with fear.  
“Eeeek! Stop, stop!! Let's stop talking about this! There's nothing here! Can't we just leave it at that?!” he questioned desperately, stepping forward and hoping to stop the conversation entirely. Ivan hummed slightly in thought, for the moment, enjoying the thought of teasing both Alfred and Ludwig with this.  
“Grabbed… It's like… a hand sprang up from the earth and grabbed your ankle…” Ivan began,  
“And tried to drag you into the earth…” Francis finished with a smirk. Ludwig stepped back with wide eyes.  
“S-stop! It could have been just my imagination! Anyway!! There's nothing out of the ordinary here! Let's leave it at that.” he said firmly, trying to straighten himself out. Kiku also stood there with wide eyes.  
“I-indeed! Now, let's go to the place where Feliciano will talk to us…” Feliciano looked up when his name was mentioned.  
“Hm? Oh, sorry! Um, the cell where Gilbert and the others had got in. That's where I want us to go.” he said softly. Kiku nodded.  
“Understood. Now, let's just forget about this incident and go to the other room.” he said. Ludwig nodded slightly.  
“Right…” The group left, except for Ludwig and Feliciano. Feliciano looked to Ludwig expectantly, waiting for him to go, but the German remained put. “Feliciano, what exactly are you looking for?” he asked. Feliciano’s eyes widened slightly.  
“W-what?” he asked. Ludwig shook his head.  
“What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting weird for quite some time and…” he frowned and looked to Feliciano, taking his hands and squeezing them gently, his face contorted with worry. “I’m concerned Feliciano, you always talk to me, yet with this-!” something glinted in his line of sight and Ludwig was momentarily distracted. Feliciano took the opportunity to draw his attention to the object.  
“What did you find?” he asked. Ludwig knelt down and picked up a piece of metal.  
“Ah, so this is what I saw. It might be useful so I'll take it with me.” he said as he stood up. Feliciano nodded quickly.  
“We should go meet with the others.” he said before he left quickly. Ludwig frowned, but followed after him. Once they were all in the cell room, Feliciano spoke again. “Before I say anything, I have a favour to ask of you. You, see, there's a box inside the cell, isn't there?” he asked gesturing to a box that was inside the cell. The rest of the group turned to look at it. Yao shrugged slightly.  
“Yeah. That one, right? What about it?” he asked.  
“Can you open it for me? I can't open it, and I want to see what's inside.” Feliciano said. There was a silence before Alfred piped up eagerly.  
“Then I, the hero, will open it!” he said before he gleefully went into the cell and over to the box. Yao curiously went in after him, and Francis followed. Matthew frowned slightly and looked to Feliciano.  
“What’s in the box?” he asked.  
“I’m not sure, but judging from what we’ve found in random places thus far, it might be hope for our escape.” Feliciano replied. Matthew frowned in confusion, but he cautiously went into the cell as well. Gilbert followed closely behind him.  
“Huh? What the hell?! It won't open at all!” Alfred pouted. Arthur sighed slightly.  
“You’re hopeless. Let me try.” he said as he went into the cell after him.  
“Maybe it’s locked?” Ivan asked as he walked in, followed by Kiku. Ludwig went to follow as well, but Feliciano stopped him, putting a hand on his arm.  
“Ludwig.” he said softly.  
“What is it, liebe?” he asked turning towards Feliciano. The Italian swallowed hard, having not heard that pet name in quite some time; but he found his voice and spoke again.  
“You just found something, didn't you? Maybe it's some kind of clue. Can't I take a look?” he asked. Ludwig raised an eyebrow.  
“You mean this? I don't think it's much, but… I suppose yes.” he said as he handed the piece of metal over to Feliciano. He thought he heard a mumble coming from Feliciano, but before he could ask for clarification, Feliciano pushed him into the cell and shut the door, locking them all inside. “What?!” he exclaimed in shock, jumping up and grabbing at the bars.  
“Feliciano?!” Kiku gasped turning around quickly.  
“What’s the meaning of this?!” Arthur demanded, walking over to the bars and grabbing them as well. Feliciano kept his head down, and his words were soft when he spoke.  
“Alfred… you haven’t said anything yet. Maybe it’s time now.” he said softly. Alfred grimaced and looked down to the ground. Arthur turned around and faced Alfred, his eyes slightly wider.  
“Alfred?” he asked in question, his voice almost hesitant.  
“Who gave you this idea, who was the one who actually lured everyone here?” Feliciano asked, his face still down, and his voice shook slightly.  
“What are you talking about??” Yao exclaimed.  
“Alfred!” Arthur snapped, his eyes wide with confusion. Feliciano turned to walk towards the door. “Feliciano! You owe us a fucking explanation! You can’t just leave us here!!” Arthur yelled whirling around in a desperate attempt to stop the Italian from leaving them there.  
“Why would you lock us here??” Matthew questioned. Arthur turned to Alfred, his eyes burning with anger.  
“Alfred. What’s going on here, what are you bloody hiding??!” he yelled, causing Alfred to flinch.  
“Why aren’t you saying anything, Alfred??” Gilbert snapped, clenching his jaw.  
“Feliciano, let us out!” Ludwig yelled, shaking the cell door with his hands. Feliciano looked up to them all, and Ludwig’s shoulders dropped when he saw tears sliding down Feliciano’s cheeks.  
“But… but if I open the door, then you’ll get mad at me, then again… I suppose you already are.” he said quietly.  
“Feli…” Ludwig said softly, wanting desperately to comfort him, but unable to do so. Feliciano clenched his fist when Alfred still didn’t speak, so he did, his voice shaking and the tears falling, but he didn’t stop.  
“You see, I'm the one who told him the rumours about this place.” he said looking to Alfred. Francis’ eyes widened.  
“What?” he asked incredulously.  
“I'm the one who told Alfred about this place, and then he immediately went to ask everyone to come check it out.” he continued.  
“Then…” Kiku trailed, and Feliciano nodded.  
“Right. It wasn't America who started it. Because I told him. That's why you're all here now.” he said quietly, his smile plastic as the tears continued to fall. He couldn’t hold back for much longer.  
“Feliciano, why would you tell Alfred this, why did you lock us here?” Arthur asked, walking closer to where Feliciano was. Feliciano had wanted to be cocky, to say they would just get in the way, he wanted to act as if he didn’t care, but the truth was…  
“Because you…” he bit his lip. “Because I didn’t want to lose everyone… I couldn’t lose everyone… not again…” he whispered. Ludwig’s eyes widened.  
“What…?” he asked. “What do you mean?”  
“Every time… you all died… and I was here alone… all alone…” Feliciano said, his body shaking as his facade crumbled beneath his feet.  
“So that’s why… our memories…” Francis breathed, his eyes wide with shock and horror.  
“They were all… all real…” Ivan whispered. “But why can’t you just tell us? And we can all work together?” he asked looking up.  
“Feliciano, did you forget what we said yesterday? The one who laid out the rails… yeah, it was you. But I chose to run on them. I could have chosen not to, but I chose to get on those rails. No one thinks it's your fault. And no one thinks that you should go through this alone, either.” Alfred said looking up to him. Feliciano’s eyes widened and he blinked, two more tears falling down his cheeks.  
“Yeah, we can all be together as a team, and we can help each other! We can get out together!” Matthew said looking up at him and walking forward.  
“Birdie is right, Feliciano. You don’t have to do this alone.” Gilbert said putting his hand on Matthew’s shoulder. Feliciano shook and more tears began to fall.  
“Feliciano… please…” Ludwig whispered, almost desperately. Feliciano’s shoulders shook with his tears. He wanted to reach out… to take the hand that was outstretched before him. He was so tired… so tired of being alone, so tired of handling this by himself… but… he looked up to them, with a forced smile on his face.  
“I… I’m sorry, I can’t. I just can’t do it again. This cycle has to end, and it has to end with me.” he said quietly. “The thing is after me. That's why no matter how many of us are gathered together, it will target me and attack me first. That's why I tried to keep close to the doors as much as possible, though it was a little pointless.” he let out a hollow laugh. He took a deep breath, though it broke as he spoke. “This ends here. I'll make this the last time… If I come back, give me a good scolding.” he said softly before he ran out. Ludwig’s eyes widened and he shook the cell door violently.  
“FELICIANO! OPEN THIS DOOR! FELICIANO!” he yelled before dropping to his knees, fighting back the burning behind his eyelids.

“FELICIANO!!”


	11. Promise

Feliciano walked out of the hallway and once he stopped hearing Ludwig’s yells, he leaned against the wall, sliding down as his tears began anew. He sat down fully and put his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. “They were so mad at me… Ludwig… his face was like from a nightmare…” he gasped out through his tears, something else to fill the silence. After a minute, his sobs calmed and he was able to stand. “At least… at least they won’t be in danger anymore.” he whispered as he began walking again. A piercing ring cut through the air and Feliciano shrieked, jumping and stumbling back before he realized it was his phone. “My phone? Scary… Who is it? And how can they call me, anyway?” He looked at the caller ID and his eyes widened. “No… it can’t be…” he whispered. He shakily pressed the answer icon and held the phone to his ear. “L-Lov-!”  
“You IDIOT!!! What took you so fucking long to answer, goddammit?!” Feliciano’s brother, Lovino, shouted through the receiver. Feliciano’s eyes welled up and he fell to his knees. It had been so long… so long since he had heard his brother’s voice. He had almost forgotten what it sounded like. Then, he snapped back to reality and answered.  
“What?! What? It's true?! It's really you?! How? You are Lovino, aren't you?!" he asked desperately.  
“Of course it's me!” Lovino snapped before his voice sounded slightly farther away. “Ack, wait-Antonio!! You can't take my phone! Give it back!” Feliciano’s lip trembled and his voice shook as he spoke again.  
“Antonio, too? It can't be true… Why?” Lovino scoffed through the receiver.  
“I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Now listen, Feliciano-...?” Lovino paused and then his voice became more hesitant, and protective. “Are you crying?” he asked. Feliciano sniffed and wiped his eyes.  
“No, I-I'm just so happy. Hey, Lovino, can you fill in for me at work tomorrow?” he asked quietly, knowing that if he were to truly carry out his plan, he really wouldn’t be able to come in.  
“Huh?” Lovino asked, incredibly confused.  
“Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and forever and ever… Can you?” Feliciano asked sniffing slightly, growing slightly scared at what was to come.  
“... No.” Lovino said firmly. Feliciano bit his lip.  
“Lovino-!”  
“It's your job.” Lovino quipped, sounding annoyed. “Just get your ass back here and fucking take care of it yourself! An… real… idiot… well… ly…” Feliciano’s eyes widened slightly.  
“Lovino? I can't hear you! Hello?!” Then there was a dial tone and Feliciano just stared at his phone. “It got cut off…” he said quietly, before he let out a small chuckle. “Hehe! Their voices. It's been so long!” his face then fell and he hugged himself tightly. “... I wish I could go home.” he whispered.

Lovino glared at his phone and put it in his pocket angrily.  
“Tsk! It got fucking cut off. Oh, well. At least I got to call him.” he said as he frowned, looking up to the large mansion in front of him and the Spaniard.  
“You sure they’re in there?” Antonio asked, looking up to the rather intimidating building in front of them. Lovino scoffed and crossed his arms.  
“Of course, Tonio, I’ve felt drawn to this place for a while.” he then glared at the building. “God, my brother is such a pain in the ass… And the others are taking their sweet fucking time getting here. Why aren't they back already?!... Feliciano… I'm coming.” He then began walking. “Come on, Tonio. We can’t wait for them any longer.” Antonio quickly went after him.

Feliciano had been searching through the mansion, all through the floors, and finally he found himself in the room with the burnt rope ladder. He huffed, still not finding what he was looking for. “No… It isn't here, after all. Where did I hide it, again…? Was it on the 3rd floor, maybe? Maybe not. Ugh, I'm really anxious now. But if I calm down, I'll remember… There was another one that I hid with America. And then… um…” he tried to think, but was cut off when a voice called down to him from the hole that the ladder led to.  
“I found you, Feliciano!”  
Feliciano snapped his head up to look at the hole, his eyes wide in shock when he saw both Lovino and Antonio, looking down at him.  
“Lo-why?!” he exclaimed.  
“Good thing the front door wasn't opening, so I was just loitering around here. I finally found you! What the hell have you been up to?” Lovino snapped as he looked down to his brother.  
“Feli! Thank God! You can't stay there all alone. Where are the other guys?” Antonio called down to him. Feliciano stepped back, his eyes wide and confused.  
“What-what are you doing here?! We didn't ask you to come here!” he yelled up to them. Lovino growled and called back down angrily.  
“What did you do with the clocks? Did you break all of them?!” he asked, frustrated now. Feliciano’s eyes widened further and he stepped forward.  
“How-how did you know about that?” he asked. Lovino rolled his eyes in exasperation.  
“Answer me!” he snapped. “Did you break the last clock?!”  
“It can't be… You weren't supposed to know about that… What are you even doing here in the first place?” Feliciano asked desperately. Lovino yelled in frustration and went to the ladder.  
“Lovino, amor, I know you're happy to see him, but don't get too excited…” Antonio said as he tried to stop the angry Italian.  
“Feliciano! I'm coming there right now, so don't move!!” Lovino yelled as he began climbing down the ladder.  
“N-no!! Don't come here, no matter what!! Go home!! What are you doing here?! How-how did you know?!” Feliciano yelled out in a panic. Lovino stopped and looked down to him.  
“Try saying my name.” he said quietly. Feliciano’s eyes widened and he spoke shakily.  
“L-Lovino…”  
“No!” Lovino snapped. “Say my full name!” he demanded. Feliciano flinched before he spoke more quietly.  
“V-Vargas. Lovino Vargas.” he said softly, holding himself tightly. Lovino nodded firmly.  
“Yeah, that's right. I'm a Vargas, too! I don't know everything you remember, but I do plan on carrying at a little of that burden on my shoulders! You haven't been alone all this time! You've… broken quite a few clocks, haven't you?” he asked. Tears slipped down Feliciano’s cheeks before he spoke.  
“Y-yes… but…”  
“The flow of time got fixed.” Antonio said. “That's why we were finally able to get here. Not just us, you know? The others are coming to help you guys.”  
“I fiiiiiinally found you. I've been trying to find you for ages-couldn't find you-the phone wouldn't work, and sometimes I felt these shocks, like half of me had disappeared, every single time-!”  
“You-IDIOT!!!” Feliciano shrieked, cutting Lovino off. ‘I wasn't able to bear it… That's why several of my memories flowed into Lovino and he came looking for us… Why did he have to come here…? Why…? Even if something happened to me, if my brother's here-No. I've already had too much of the first time and I'm getting confused. I have no idea what I should do.’ his thoughts screamed in his mind, clouding any other thoughts that could come in.  
“Feliciano?” Lovino asked, confused.  
“I'm sorry, Lovino, I have to go. I'm sorry, but… just go home!” Feliciano yelled before he ran away. Lovino’s eyes widened.  
“Ack! YOU BASTARD!! Wait!!” he called after his brother. He tried to get down further and Antonio grabbed his arm.  
“Whoa!! No, Lovino!” he exclaimed. “I'll try going down the ropes first, and you just wait here, okay?” he asked, trying to pull him up. Lovino then blinked and tried to look down farther, noting that he couldn’t see the end.  
“Can you really use this ladder? I can't see the bottom very well…” he said frowning deeply.  
“I think it's okay? Though I can't see it very well, either. The boss will go down first, so wait here just a moment!” he said pulling Lovino back up to the ledge. He kissed Lovino’s forehead before he started going down. The Italian grumbled angrily, though his cheeks had a light pink hue to them. Antonio began going down slowly, and once he got close to halfway, he determined that Lovino’s worries were silly. Then he slipped off the last rung before the rest was burnt away and he plummeted to the ground, shouting as he fell. He hit the ground hard and groaned as he tried to catch the breath that had been knocked from him. Lovino’s eyes widened and he leaned over the edge, trying to get a good look at the Spaniard.  
“Antonio??!” he exclaimed worriedly. “Are you okay?!” Once able to, Antonio sat up carefully, wincing as he did so.  
“Ugh… ow…” he grimaced. He looked up and saw the burnt bits of the ladder. His eyes widened slightly. “Oh, no, the ropes are burnt halfway down. I hadn't noticed… Ooh, ow.” he winced as he accidentally put too much pressure on his ankle when he tried to get up.  
“Hey!!” Lovino called again, desperate for an answer from Antonio. He had heard something, but he wasn’t quite sure.  
“Lovino!” Antonio called up to him.  
“Yeah?” Lovino replied, glad for something from him.  
“I’m glad Feli is alright.” Antonio said with a smile, not sure if the Italian could see or not. Lovino was quiet before he nodded.  
“Yeah, I am too.” he said.  
“I'll see if I can find something of use instead of a ladder. Wait just a moment.” Antonio called up to him. Lovino nodded again, impatient already  
“Alright. Don't take too long, or I'll get down this, anyway.” he blushed before speaking again, his worry showing through with the shaking of his voice. “A-and… b-be careful…” he said.  
“I will, mi amor.” Antonio said up to him, not wanting to worry Lovino. “I promise I’ll be right back.” he said before he left.

Kiku’s katana swung down against the iron bars and he stepped back when there was no effect. He huffed and glared at it. “It's no use!!” he yelled in frustration, putting his katana away. “My sword can't cut the bars.”  
“We can't just use brute strength… Too bad.” Ivan sighed. “I don't know what he was going to do, but we have to go after him quickly.” Matthew frowned deeply.  
“But we can't get out unless someone opens it from the outside.” he said. Arthur huffed and rolled his eyes.  
“‘Someone’-Everyone is in here! You all walked right into his fucking trap!" he snapped. Alfred raised an eyebrow and looked to Arthur.  
“You did, too, you know… What are we going to do? If no one shows up-!” His eyes widened when someone opened the door, and then Antonio stepped through. The Spaniard gaped at the sight of all of them behind bars.  
“Whoa!! Wh-what is this?! What are you all doing?!” he questioned quickly going over to the door. “How are you all here? What’s going on??” he asked.  
“Antonio. We don’t have time to explain, just open the cell door!” Ludwig snapped. Antonio’s eyes widened some in confusion.  
“Wh-what? What do you mean? I mean, didn't Feli come this way?” he asked. Ludwig grabbed the bars, glaring daggers at Antonio.  
“We can explain after, just open the cell door, please!!” Kiku exclaimed desperately.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Feliciano frowned in thought as he walked through the mansion. He hoped that Antonio and Lovino got out of there… ‘First I'll look for another metal piece I remember where it's hidden… and if I look for them one by one, maybe I'll remember more.’ He walked up to the second floor and he explored the rooms, one by one, before finding himself in one of the last rooms. He frowned as he looked around. “Was it here?” he asked to himself in thought as he looked around. He searched and he began talking to himself, almost as if to fill the silence. “I've finally got everyone together. I'll definitely get them to escape… Or else I'll be confined to a world where I'm all alone… Then again, even though I tried to be at least a little reliable, it looks like they couldn't trust me… If I went back… they wouldn't get mad at me… would they?” he sniffed slightly and stopped, wiping at his eyes. “They'd say sorry, and they'd yell at me a lot and scold me, and then…” his lip quivered as he continued on. “They'd… hug me, and I'd hug them… and I'd also say I'm sorry…” he began to cry, tears falling down his cheeks as he hugged himself. He wanted them all there with him… “All this time… Really all this time… I… with them… from here…” he hiccuped as he cried, and he didn’t notice when the door opened up behind him. He stopped after a moment and caught his breath. He then turned around, freezing in shock when he saw the monster right there before him. “N-no…” he breathed as he stepped back, and the monster got closer to him. “L-Ludwi-!” 

SLASH.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, but I'll be posting the next chapter soon!


	12. A Wish to Forget

“That idiot… I didn't know he could be that stupid.” Lovino snarled as he listened to everyone on the ground below him. Francis frowned in confusion and he looked up to Lovino.  
“What, you already get what's going on? All we told you is that Feliciano locked us up and left on his own…” Antonio shook his head some and looked to Francis.  
“Yeah, I don't really get it, either, but it looks like he shares some memories with Feli.” Matthew’s eyes widened slightly.  
“What? Does that mean he understands the situation better than we do, then?” he asked. Lovino rolled his eyes and huffed in frustration.  
“Antonio! Did you find something to get me down there?!” he asked. Antonio smiled sheepishly up at him.  
“I… I may have forgotten.” Lovino glared daggers down at the Spaniard. Kiku sighed slightly.  
“We don't have time for that. First, we'll go after Feliciano, so Francis can stay here with-!” he was cut off by Lovino’s yell.  
“I can't wait!! Enough of this! Stand back!” he yelled as he quickly and angrily began climbing down the ladder.  
“Wait a minute! Lovino!” Antonio gasped as Lovino fell off after the ladder was burned and Antonio caught him, but he stumbled and they both fell to the ground.  
“Are you both alright?” Gilbert asked. Lovino winced as he got up, and then he stumbled, holding his head.  
“Y-yeah… I think so…” he said. Alfred grinned down at Antonio and helped him up.  
“Nice catch!” he said giving him a thumbs up.  
“Let's split up into two groups to look for him. We'll start in the basement.” Matthew said. Lovino’s eyes were slightly dulled, and his hands shook as he leaned against the wall.  
“O-okay. We'll go after… Feliciano… too.” he mumbled. Arthur frowned slightly at that.  
“Are you feeling dizzy? You're going the wrong way.” he said.   
“I’m… I’m fine.” Lovino said. Ludwig was already walking out of the basement area and Kiku, Gilbert, and Lovino followed him. The other groups searched the basement and the first floor, while they took the second. They were going to search through the rooms, but Lovino stopped them. “No… he’s not in those rooms, I can feel him, he’s this way.” he said as he led them to a room. Ludwig heard a crash from inside and he ran forward, throwing the door open. Furniture was tossed around, and blood was spattered in areas. His eyes widened when he saw the creature attacking Feliciano.   
“What the hell?!” Gilbert yelled.   
“FELICIANO!” Ludwig exclaimed in shock. The monster vanished, and Feliciano was just barely standing. He looked up, his eyes half lidded and dulled, but they seemed to lighten up when he saw them.  
“You… you found me…” he whispered before his eyelids fluttered some and he collapsed to the ground, blood darkening his clothes. In a panic, Ludwig ran over and he dropped down, lifting Feliciano up into his arms.   
“Feliciano!!” he exclaimed desperately. Feliciano looked up, almost sleepily.  
“It's you, Ludwig… Lovino, even though I told you not to…” he breathed softly.  
“Wh-why-Why didn't you run?!” Lovino yelled, tears beading in his eyes. “Don't be stupid!! You should have waved your white flag like you always do!!!” he choked on his words, wiping his eyes roughly.   
“Waving that… wouldn't have saved everyone. That's why I decided to do all I could…” Ludwig’s eyesight blurred with tears and he blinked them away.  
“You stupid… Feliciano… we could have helped… I… I could have helped you… you promised you’d always come to me…” he whispered. Feliciano reached up shakily and cupped his cheek.  
“I… I wanted to be brave… like you…” he whispered softly before his eyelids fluttered shut and his hand dropped, his head falling back. Ludwig’s eyes widened and Lovino shrieked.  
“NO!! NO NO FUCK!” Lovino yelled as he scrambled to Feliciano, his knees and hands now coated in his brother’s blood. Gilbert grabbed his arms and held him.   
“Idiot! He’s still breathing!” he snapped. “Calm the fuck down!”  
“Let's go back to our safe place at once. Gilbert, please call the others back. Ludwig, you can carry Feliciano. Lovino, you can help me take care of his injuries.” Kiku said as he remained calm. He couldn’t let them know how scared he was. Ludwig nodded and he stood, cradling Feliciano in his arms. He left and Gilbert looked over  
“Did… did Feliciano beat the monster all by himself?” he asked. Kiku looked to him.  
“Now’s not the time.” he said as he followed Ludwig out. Lovino walked after him quickly and Gilbert followed.

‘To the me… To the me who lives at some point in time… and who isn't alone…’

Feliciano lay on a bed in the safe room, bandages covering almost his entire body. Ludwig was kneeling next to the bed, holding Feliciano’s hand tightly, his forehead pressed to Feliciano’s knuckles. “He's covered in injuries…” he whispered.  
“He fought alone. It's only natural.” Francis said softly.  
“I heard that it was much bigger than before, but… he wasn't surprised at all, was he?” Matthew asked. Ivan looked over to him.  
“You mean he already knew? Or…” he trailed.  
“We should think… that he's already seen it many times over.” Yao said softly. Kiku nodded slightly.  
“I agree. That would explain his emotional strength and why he has got used to fighting. I don't think it's something he had from the very beginning.”  
“It feels like something that had accumulated and then finally took shape. But we can't really be sure. We have to hear it from his own mouth.” Alfred said crossing his arms some. Gilbert frowned and held Matthew’s hand, still worried.  
“What can we do, then? We can't just demand that he tells us everything as soon as he wakes up. Do you really think he would tell us just like that?” he asked raising an eyebrow. Arthur frowned worriedly, looking to Feliciano.  
“Well… if we don't ask him, we'll never know, will we? I think we should at least try to interrogate him even if it proves to be fruitless.” Francis shook his head.  
“No, no. I disagree. If we all approach him when he's already so weary, he'll only feel cornered.” Yao looked to Francis with confusion lacing his features.  
“So, you want us to keep going like this, with us in the dark and only him in danger? I think we should interrogate him.” he said with a firm nod.  
“But… have you seen his face? I don't think he'll tell us anything that easily. Why don't we wait a little before we try asking him?” Ivan offered. Matthew frowned at that.  
“‘A little?’ How long do we have to wait, exactly? We don't have much time left. If it's the only way, even if we have to be a little overbearing-!”  
“Romano,” Alfred said, cutting Matthew off, “you know something, don't you? Can't you tell us?” he asked.  
“Lovi?” Antonio asked rubbing Lovino’s back. Lovino was quiet for a minute before he spoke.  
“... I do know. I don't know everything, but I know more than you do.” he said softly.  
“Then…” Gilbert trailed. Lovino shook his head.  
“But, knowing the truth, I also understand my brother's decision. I can't just tell you something that he's so desperate to hide.” Arthur walked up to Lovino, facing him angrily.  
“But this isn't only about him! Other people's lives are at stake! What are we supposed to do now?” he demanded. He expected a retort, a snap, something, but instead, Lovino just looked away.  
“... Sorry. I don't know, either.” he said quietly. Antonio then stepped between Lovino and Arthur when the Englishman looked like he was going to say something else.  
“Go easy on him.” he said seriously, looking down at Arthur. “I don't know what to do, either, but you're being too harsh on Lovino. Give him a break.” Lovino squeezed Antonio’s arm and then looked to Ludwig.  
“Potato Head, what do you think? Should we interrogate him, or wait for him to talk when he's ready? I want your opinion.” he said, knowing that as much as he loved his brother, he knew that Feliciano would trust Ludwig over anybody else, including him. Ludwig was silent, just holding Feliciano’s hand.  
“Ludwig?” Kiku asked after a moment, putting a hand on his shoulder. It was only then that Ludwig lifted his head. To everyone’s surprise, the normally stoic German had tears running down his cheeks, and his eyes were red. His voice cracked when he spoke.  
“I… I… just want him to wake up first. More to interrogate him, or to wait… more than anything, I want him to wake up.” he said softly. He took a breath and spoke again. “And then, if he wants to talk, I will listen, and if he doesn't want to talk, I won't ask him anything. I think we should try trusting him.” Gilbert nodded firmly at that.  
“...Yeah. Even Feliciano has learnt a thing or two, right? When he wakes up, his opinion will be important.” Kiku nodded as well.  
“Indeed… Let's wait for him to wake up.” he said quietly. There was silence for a moment before Ludwig felt Feliciano’s hand tighten around his own. His eyes widened slightly.  
“...Hm? Oh. W-wait!” he gasped when he realized what happened.  
“... He’s going to wake up.” Lovino said quietly. Sure enough, Feliciano’s eyes opened slowly and he looked around him, looking both exhausted, and confused. Ivan looked over.  
“Oh. he's awake.” he said. Arthur walked over, looking to him.  
“Are you okay? Hey.” he said quietly. Kiku sighed in relief.  
“I'm so relieved. Feliciano, do you know where you are?” he asked. Feliciano then looked slightly frightened, and incredibly confused. Lovino’s eyes widened slightly.  
“?! H-hey… Feliciano?” he asked. Yao frowned in confusion.  
“What's wrong?” he asked. Gilbert stepped closer.  
“Feliciano? What's the matter?” he asked. Feliciano said something, but it was so soft that no one could hear it. Ludwig frowned and leaned a bit closer.  
“I'm sorry, Feliciano. I couldn't hear you. Can you say that again?” he asked, holding his hand. He was so relieved that Feliciano was awake! Feliciano then turned to him and seemed confused.  
“Who… are… you?” he asked softly. Ludwig’s eyes widened. Feliciano… didn’t remember him??

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

‘The only thing I remember vividly, to the point I can't breathe, is when we first came here. Even while everyone was trying to think of a way to escape, I did nothing to help… I had to be protected like an idiot… Meanwhile, everyone else was getting hurt. And I was all alone. One after the other, they lost their lives right before my eyes.’

Feliciano stood in darkness, his friends surrounding him in a circle, all smiling at him. He felt happy, he felt at peace, but that peace didn’t last and he felt himself pulled into space, everything fading into a memory.

Feliciano knelt in front of Kiku, desperately trying to stop blood from seeping through Kiku’s uniform. Tears were slipping down Feliciano’s cheeks. “Huhu… I'm sorry. It looks like this is the end for me.” Kiku said softly, slumped against the piano in the otherwise white room. Feliciano shook his head frantically.  
“D-don't say that! Wait just a minute! I'll make bandages out of this flag and stop the bleeding!” he exclaimed, tearing up the flag he was holding. Kiku reached up weakly and took Feliciano’s hand, shaking his head.  
“No… no, it's hopeless. There is no time? Please, just leave me here and go to the others. Fortunately, they've forgotten… that I came here. please, leave me…” he whispered softly. Feliciano took his hand, his tears continuing even harder.  
“Of course I can't do that! Just-I'll make bandages right now! Please!” he begged.  
“Feliciano.” Kiku said softly.  
“Wh-what?” Feliciano asked quietly.  
“You don't have much of your white flag anymore, do you? You have already used all of it to make bandages for everyone else.” Kiku said quietly. Feliciano shook his head desperately, wrapping the scraps around Kiku’s arm.  
“No-I-I do!! L-look! I just made it! I'll help you right now!! No… No, Kiku!! I'll do anything!! I'll do anything!! Just hold on a little longer!” he exclaimed. He looked up when there was no reply, only to find Kiku’s eyes looking vaguely at him, but not seeing. Kiku’s hand was limp in Feliciano’s. “N-no… No… no Kiku… please…” he cried, holding Kiku’s hand.

Feliciano was back in the darkness with his friends, but Kiku was no longer there, a blank space replacing him. Feliciano was then tugged into another memory.

He stood before Francis, Ivan, and Yao, all slumped against the wall of the fireplace room, the three bloodied and broken. Gilbert was with him, holding his arm. “Sorry. This is where I fall.” Yao said quietly. Ivan took a shaky breath, holding his side in an illusioned attempt to stop the blood from pouring from the wound.  
“I'm glad we could make… a new breach at least.” he said with a pained smile. Francis looked up and offered a smile when he saw that Feliciano had tears running down his cheeks.  
“Come now, Feliciano, don't cry; just go. If you stay here, that monster is going to show up again.” he said, trying to adjust and nearly crying out in pain, but he could barely move that time.  
“B-but…” Feliciano trailed shakily.  
“Gilbert, will you take care of Feliciano? He's fast on his feet, but it's hard to fight that monster.” Francis said looking to the Prussian seriously. Gilbert nodded grimly.  
“I know. I'll do it.” he said. Francis nodded.  
“Good… now… hey… it’s not hurting…” he trailed before his head slumped to the side, his eyes closing as his chest stilled. Feliciano’s eyes widened.  
“F… Francis…?” he asked quietly. Ivan looked to the two.  
“Quickly. Don't let our efforts be in vain. Really, you're so slow on the uptake.” he said with a small chuckle. Yao winced as he tried to sit up more.  
“If you stay here, you're only going to get in the way. Just get away, quickly.” he said. Gilbert tugged on Feliciano’s arm, swallowing the lump in his throat.  
“Let's go, Feliciano. Let's get out of here.” he said quietly before leading him out. Once they were gone, Yao sighed softly.  
“You really are perfect for the role of villain.” he chuckled, looking up to Ivan. Ivan smiled weakly down at him.  
“You're quite the actor, yourself.” he said. Yao smiled, before he tried to sit up once more, failing, but not caring this time.  
“I have to find… Kiku… quickly. While I got all sluggish here… I forgot again…” he trailed off and Ivan frowned, looking down to find him still, silent, his eyes staring at nothing.  
“... Yao?” he asked hesitantly, almost wishing he hadn’t when there was no reply. Ivan smiled in a bittersweet manner and he looked up to the ceiling. “Haa… Even in this place… even in death… I'm all alone yet again…” he whispered before his body finally gave out and his eyes closed, his chest falling for the last time.

Back in the circle once more, Francis, Ivan, and then Yao vanished, leaving empty spaces where they once stood. Feliciano could feel himself cracking, but yet he stood there, motionless, almost as if he couldn’t do anything before he was yanked into yet another memory.

Feliciano stood with Alfred sitting against one of the beds in the room with the lever. Matthew and Arthur lay on the two beds. There was so much blood on them… the sheets… it was slowly dripping onto the floor. Alfred was looking up to Feliciano, his legs broken beyond what he wanted to share with the Italian. “Yeah, we'll be fine, so just get out of here and get us reinforcements or something.” he said, hiding his pain behind his voice. Feliciano’s eyes were wide with panic.  
“Wait! In the meantime, even you will get hurt beyond help-!”  
“It's fine. Besides, I want to do these two a favour and stay with them.” Alfred cut him off. Feliciano’s shoulders dropped.  
“Alfred…” Alfred’s facade cracked and he looked down, his voice quiet when he spoke.  
“Haaa… No, that isn't it. They can't hear me anymore, so I'll tell you in all honesty…” he smiled hollowly towards the beds. “I want to stay with them. Till my last moment. Because they're both very important to me.” he said quietly. “And with Mattie… well… I don’t want Gilbert to know… because then he won’t want to go on… he won’t want to get out… And I won’t leave Arthur here. I just… I can’t.” he said, his voice cracking some. Feliciano’s lip quivered some.  
“And because you're going to… protect me-!”  
“Haha!” Alfred laughed, a little too forced for Feliciano’s liking before his voice became serious again. “Yeah. Even though I can't move anymore. But I'm not making a mistake. And I regret nothing.” he said. Feliciano’s eyes were wide with shock. “Go for it. I wish you luck.” he said motioning with his head to the door. Feliciano bit his lip and he nodded, leaving the room. Alfred sighed softly and he looked back to the bed where Arthur was. He grunted, dragging himself back so he was leaning against the wall between the beds. He reached up and put his hand over Arthur’s, feeling the chill through his glove. His tears gave way then, falling down his cheeks as his shoulders shook. The hero finally fell, his hand clasping that which he held most dear.

Matthew, Arthur, and Alfred faded from the circle, leaving Feliciano with only Ludwig and Gilbert standing before him. Feliciano tried to hold back, but was yet again yanked into another memory.

Feliciano was already crying. He was on his knees before Ludwig and Gilbert. Both were slumped against the wall in the small empty room, covered in blood. Gilbert held his hand up, holding a small key. “We got the key.” he said, almost in weak triumph. Ludwig reached forward, cupping Feliciano’s cheek with a comforting smile.  
“Hey, stop crying…” he whispered. “We risked our lives and went through so much to get it back. You should be happier.” Feliciano’s hand reached up to take Ludwig’s, holding the hand tightly in his own.  
“Why did you lie…? You said you were only going to take a look around…” he sobbed, his shoulders heaving with his tears.  
“Ah, yes. Well… it's probably for the same reason you didn't tell us that everyone else is dead.” Ludwig said quietly. Feliciano looked up in shock.  
“You… you knew?” he asked softly. Gilbert gave a pained smile.  
“I knew something… I knew something was wrong when you came back after talking to Alfred… but… I didn’t want to believe it, so I kept going.” he said quietly. “You did it to protect us.” He then blinked slowly, his body exhausted. “Well… now, West, why don't we take a little rest? I'm really tired.” he said quietly. Ludwig nodded.  
“You’re right, Gilbert, why don’t you go on ahead, and I’ll catch up.” he said softly. Feliciano’s eyes shot open in a panic.  
“Why?! No! I can't do this anymore! I'm staying with you!!” he exclaimed, sobs overcoming him. He was terrified, he was upset, he was scared, he wanted Ludwig to be okay!  
“Anyone who… disobeys… will run… ten laps…” Ludwig breathed out softly. Gilbert let out a soft chuckle.  
“...Look… if you don't… hurry up… he'll keep adding even more.” he said softly before his eyes slid shut. Feliciano’s blood chilled and he clung to Ludwig’s hand.  
“Gil…” he whispered. He then frantically looked to Ludwig. “No, no please! Please please don’t go!!” he cried, reaching to cup Ludwig’s cheeks. “Don’t die! Please don’t die! I love you too much…” he crumbled, finding himself in Ludwig’s lap. “Don’t go…” Ludwig’s hand squeezed Feliciano’s gently.  
“Be strong… mein liebe.” he said softly. “Ich liebe dich…” he whispered before his eyes closed, and his hand fell limp in Feliciano’s. The Italian’s screams were deafening, and yet silent to his ears. He was alone.

‘Even when I followed different paths, no matter what I did, they still left me. If only I hadn't heard those rumours… If only I hadn't told Alfred. No, this is no good. I just have to try harder. What was I supposed to say next, again? Whose life was going to be in danger next, again? What… do I have to do next? How many more times will I be allowed to make mistakes? How many more times will I have to tell the same lies? How many more time will I have to watch my friends die? I made them so many promises. But when we met next, they had forgotten all about them. We had finally learned to get along, but when we met next, they were back to normal. I don't want them to forget, though. What can I do? What do I have to do? How can I get them all out of here? Haaa… It's hopeless. It feels like my head is going to burst… I want to try harder… and harder… but… I'm so very tired…’


	13. Memories

The group stood by the table, talking about what had just happened. “How is he?” Yao asked when Kiku walked up, returning from checking on Feliciano.  
“He's in the bathroom right now. Lovino is looking after him.” he nodded as he sat down. Matthew frowned at that and he thought.  
“Um… Maybe he has… amnesia?” he asked. Arthur shook his head.  
“No, it looked like something a little different.” he said. Kiku hummed in thought.  
“It is similar to what I was like when we had just broken a clock.” he said. Gilbert frowned.  
“Hm? What do you mean?” he asked.  
“When we break a clock, he gets a lot of strange memories and they get all mixed up.” Francis said. Kiku nodded. “That’s right. Feliciano also got so many memories that they pushed him to the limit, both physically and mentally. He got saturated with them. If any more memories pour in he will only reject them.” he said. Yao frowned in confusion.  
“Reject? Reject what?”  
“The memories themselves.” Alfred said. “That's how it usually is. But Feliciano still tried somehow and… the line probably turned into dots.” he frowned worriedly, crossing his arms over his chest. Ludwig looked up and he frowned.  
“You mean his memories are all scattered about? So, if he tries thinking about them, they will return in time?” he asked.  
“Yes. The proof is that he immediately… if tentatively… called Ludwig’s name.” Antonio raised an eyebrow.  
“Tentatively? What do you mean by that?” he asked.  
“Well…” Kiku trailed with a frown. Lovino then led Feliciano out of the bathroom.  
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” he said as he sat Feliciano down. Alfred looked over to him.  
“Uh, no, that was pretty quick. Are you feeling a little better now, Feliciano?” he asked. Feliciano nodded sheepishly.  
“... Yes, sir. I am sorry about that. My head feels a lot better and I am fine now.” Gilbert’s eyes widened slightly.  
“‘Sir?’ Er, Feliciano? You do know who I am… don't you?” he asked. Feliciano nodded slowly and looked around.  
“I do. He is Mr. Honda. You are Mr. Beilschmidt. And he is…” he looked to Ludwig and he paused. Ludwig tilted his head some in confusion. “Lu… uh… the second Mr. Beilschmidt.”  
“Feliciano? What’s wrong with you?” Ludwig asked quietly. Antonio frowned as he walked over.  
“Huh? Doesn't it kinda feel… as if he's talking like when he was a kid? What happened?” he asked.  
“Well, his memories are kind of jumbled and he's a little confused. He still needs some time, okay?” Lovino said putting his hand on Feliciano’s shoulder. Ivan nodded.  
“Of course. Take your time.” he said. Feliciano nodded quietly.  
“Y-yes, sir. I'm sorry.” he said softly.  
“And you stay with him, Lovino.” Kiku said.  
“Uh, w-wait!” Lovino said suddenly. “I've been thinking all this time… and I think maybe I should tell you, after all…” Arthur frowned quietly.  
“Er, wait, wait. I appreciate the sentiment, but we really shouldn't have told you to talk without consulting Feliciano's feelings.”  
“It's still all right.” Francis nodded. “You just care for your brother. If there's really no other way, then we'll ask you again.” Matthew nodded as well.  
“That's right. There are many other things we have to solve. Maybe he will remember something while we're having a meeting. we can wait.” he said hopefully. Lovino nodded slowly.  
“I see… Alright.” Lovino said before he helped Feliciano up. “Feliciano, go to sleep! You're tired. Come here.” he said leading his brother to the beds. Feliciano looked back at them.  
“B-but…”  
“It's all right. If there's no other way, we'll ask you. Until then, be at ease.” Ludwig said, trying to ease him. Feliciano bit his lip some.   
“Okay…” he said softly. Lovino lay him down and he made sure Feliciano slept. Francis sighed some.  
“He's so… worn out.” he said. Ivan nodded some.  
“Yeah. He probably pushed himself too hard already. He must have kept telling himself that he could try harder and harder to protect us.” he said. Kiku nodded some.  
“Let's think about what would be the best course of action.” he said. Alfred frowned slightly at that.  
“Yeah. Um, I've been wondering… Ludwig, what was that thing that you gave to Feliciano?” he asked. Ludwig frowned.  
“You mean right before he got me into that cell? It's a piece of metal that I found in the cave. Incidentally, Feliciano dropped it when he was beaten up and I have it with me again.”  
“Judging by the way he acted, it must be something necessary to escape.” Matthew said. “Even though it looks like an ordinary metal piece…”  
“Maybe it's some sort of key?” Antonio asked. Francis raised an eyebrow.  
“Key? But keys aren't usually shaped like this.” he said.  
“Yeah, that's the point! In other words, the keyhole is hidden.” Antonio pointed out.  
“But there was no other keyhole where this metal piece could fit.” Gilbert said frowning slightly. Yao frowned and thought for a moment.  
“We must have missed it. Weren't there any places that made you feel uneasy?”   
“Yes…” Arthur said quietly, “and no… I mean, there were so many places that made me feel uneasy that I've forgotten about some of them.” Alfred walked over and rubbed his shoulder gently.  
“In that case, we'll have to search the mansion once again.” he said. Kiku nodded firmly.  
“Understood. Let's split up into two groups; one to stand by, the other to search around.” he said. Arthur frowned worriedly.  
“I'm fine with either one, but… Feliciano must be hungry, so… maybe I should cook something for him?” he offered. Kiku took his arm and led him away.  
“Arthur, Let's search together! By all means!” Arthur raised an eyebrow.   
“What? But the food-!”  
“I'll stay!” Yao stated quickly. “Francis, you can stay, too!!”  
“Oh!” Francis exclaimed. “Of course! So, the kitchen is full now! You can search around with the others!”  
“I'll stay, too. I'm not feeling very well…” Gilbert said sitting down at the table.  
“Does anyone else have a preference?” he asked. Upon hearing silence, Alfred continued. “Then, Ivan, Matthew, Kiku, and Arthur will do the search with me. The others will stand by.”  
“Alright. Let's do a thorough investigation.” Matthew said with a firm nod.  
“We should check through this room for anything first, I mean, we’ve found things in every other room in this place.” Kiku said before they left.  
“Good idea.” Alfred agreed. They began to search the room, looking for anything strange. Kiku chose to look in the kitchen area, and he found a key in one of the cupboards.  
“I found a key!” Kiku called over to the others.  
“That should be useful.” Arthur nodded. Ivan hummed in thought as he looked at the chimney.   
“Hm… There's a hole in the fond of the chimney… It seems something is missing…” he said before he stood up. Soon enough, the group met at the entrance to the safe room, and they all left. They explored the house, going up the stairs and exploring the rooms before they moved downward.  
“Do you think we’ll find anything?” Alfred asked as they walked. Kiku shrugged.  
“I certainly hope so.” he said as they continued. “This creature came from somewhere and with more of the story revealed, I’ve begun to remember things from our past encounters here.” Alfred nodded in thought.  
“Yeah, those memories are really crazy though, like… Feliciano has been having that in his mind for so long, dude, I would have gone crazy!” he said sheepishly, though his worry was plain on his face. Kiku nodded again.  
“Indeed, he truly is stronger than we all thought.” he said as he continued walking. Alfred hung back though, finding himself next to Arthur as they walked through the house.  
“Is something the matter?” Arthur asked, noting the look on the American’s face. Alfred shook his head.  
“I just, I guess I’m confused as to if maybe there’s more to all this than we think.” he said. Arthur raised an eyebrow.  
“How so?” he asked as they continued onward.   
“Well, for one thing, your magic was suppressed when we got here, but then there are seals that you placed, somehow before we arrived.” he frowned. “So I guess, it was past you, but why would past you put seals to take away your abilities?” Arthur frowned and he crossed his arms over his chest.  
“To be honest, I’m not sure.” he said after a moment. “Clearly there was a reason, or else I wouldn’t have done it. It could be that it was a clue to the me now that something was different, or something was wrong. Maybe it was me trying to tell myself that there was some sort of time loop in place.” he shook his head. “Honestly I can’t be sure without more to go on.” Alfred nodded some.  
“That makes sense, I’m honestly just wondering what on earth is going on, and how this whole thing started with Feliciano.” he said as they walked. Arthur reached to take Alfred’s hand, squeezing it gently.   
“My guess is that it actually was a rumor to start with, and Feliciano was just curious, maybe even excited to check it out, and it ended up being a horrible mistake.” he said quietly. “I mean, he told you about it, and you’re always good at rallying people together.” he chuckled quietly. Alfred gave a small smile.  
“Yeah, I guess I am…” he said squeezing Arthur’s hand in return.  
“Hey, are you both coming?” Ivan asked, standing a bit away from them. They both looked up and were slightly embarrassed to see that they had stopped walking. “Kiku said that we should check the basement with the cell next. He wonders if we could look a the box again.” Arthur nodded.  
“Yes, of course, that would be smart.” he said as he began walking. Alfred followed, smiling when he saw that Arthur had not let go of his hand.   
Once down at the basement, Kiku entered the room and was surprised to see that the box was outside of the cell. “What?” he asked quietly as he walked over. “It’s outside the cell for some reason.” he said turning back to the others. Ivan frowned as he walked up.  
“Feliciano said there was ‘hope’ in this box. What did he mean?” he asked. Matthew hummed in thought.  
“If he was doing that for our sake… he must have deliberately arranged ‘a hope to escape’ when he locked us up in the cell.” Alfred shook his head as he walked over.  
“He also said that the box was empty, though. Maybe it was just a trick to lock us up?” he asked. Kiku lifted the box curiously and shook it. After a moment of silence, he sighed.  
“Probably. It makes no sound when we shake it…” he said as he went to sit the box down. Arthur then stopped him.  
“Wait, wait a minute. This is a little odd.” he said as he stepped closer, taking the box from him. Kiku raised an eyebrow.  
“Odd? How so?” he asked.  
“Oh, sorry. You probably won't get it, but this… has some of my magic, too. What the hell?” he raised his eyebrows in shock and he set the box down so he could look at it.  
“Your magic? You mean it belongs to you?” Matthew asked in confusion. Arthur shook his head.  
“No. Give me a minute. I can lift this spell.” he said before he held his hands over the box, muttering something under his breath. After a moment or so, there was a click. Ivan raised his eyebrows.  
“Hm. It made a sound. Let's try opening it?” he asked. Arthur nodded and opened it. There sounded like a voice coming from inside, when suddenly there was a burst of light and Arthur stumbled back, looking to it in shock.  
“What the hell?!” Alfred exclaimed.  
“...The… y.” a projection of Arthur appeared, though the sound was garbled and it sounded far away.  
“Hm?” Alfred asked raising an eyebrow.  
“What?” Ivan asked with wide eyes.  
“A-Arthur!” Matthew gasped. The hologram continued speaking.  
“...and… it!” Arthur gaped slightly.  
“W-What is that?! Why am I there?!” he questioned.  
“Shush!! He's saying something!” Kiku snapped.  
“My… my future self who is watching this!” The hologram Arthur continued. “There is no time to explain much. If by any chance Feliciano dies, find the journal! In return, you'll get his memories as well as my life! Go back without fail! Go back in time! Sa… Feli… ano…” Then the hologram vanished. Ivan frowned in confusion.  
“Er… Arthur? You were pretty worn-out. What happened?” Kiku frowned slightly.  
“Journal? Does that mean-W-wait a minute. What does that-!”  
“So, that was a message to Arthur in the future?” Alfred cut him off. “And said something about going back in time or something like that, right?”  
“And he also told us to ‘find the journal’.” Matthew continued. Arthur frowned quietly.  
“But Feliciano is alive… and ‘the journal’, that's not very specific, is it?” Kiku frowned and then looked into the box.  
“Oh. There's something else inside the box!” Ivan frowned and he walked over, reaching in and pulling out a clock.   
“It's a clock. The usual thing. And also… a letter, apparently. But it has no address…” Ivan frowned slightly.  
“A letter? Hm… that’s odd.” Kiku said.  
“Well, what are we going to do now?” Matthew asked.  
“Well, it's only a suggestion, but… why don't we break the clock?” Kiku asked. Alfred’s eyes widened and he frowned.  
“What?! Wh-why?” he asked.  
“Somehow, I have a feeling that it is the clue that Arthur just gave us. Besides, whenever we break a clock, I can catch a glimpse of future events.” Kiku said.  
“Hmmm, is that so? Well, then, let's break it. We've got to fix time, anyway.” Arthur nodded. Alfred bit his lip slightly.  
“Oh… b-but… I don't…” he trailed.  
“Alright, I’ll break it.” Arthur said. He then threw the clock down, breaking it. Kiku jolted and he held his head as he saw the area around him shift to a memory. His eyes widened when he saw the monster before all of them.  
“What on Earth??” he exclaimed, but no one reacted. “So when I’m seeing the future… no one knows I’m here.”  
“Shit!!” Arthur exclaimed in a panic. “Feliciano, run!!” he yelled, turning to the Italian quickly. Feliciano was frozen in place, looking up to the creature with wide eyes.   
“Move!” Francis yelled. “Please, go!” Feliciano shook his head quickly.  
“I… I can’t… If I move, Alfred will…” Kiku’s eyes widened slightly.   
“That's the enemy that Italy fought on his own! But everyone is seriously injured! And why am I standing here and watching?” he asked himself.  
“This is horrible… What the hell? Even with so many of us fighting together, we still can't defeat it?!” Kiku jumped and looked next to him, seeing Alfred.  
“Alfred?!” he questioned in confusion. Alfred then looked to him, equally confused.  
“Huh, you're there? You're the Kiku who was talking just now, right?” he asked. Kiku nodded quickly.  
“Y-yes. Anyway, we have to help Feliciano!” Alfred shook his head and frowned.  
“... I don't think that's possible. We're transparent… see? We can't even touch anything. We're only suppose to watch quietly.” Kiku’s eyes widened and he looked to the scene before them. Gilbert cried out and fell to the ground, cringing in pain.  
“Shit!! My leg… is broken… ugh…! Move!!! Please, move!!!” he exclaimed.  
“Feliciano!” Ludwig yelled in a panic. The monster raced forward and attacked Feliciano. Kiku was surprised to see the Italian moving so fast, attacking him in all the right spots, but it wasn’t enough. Before he could hit the final blow, the monster’s arm morphed into a blade and it brought the blade down upon Feliciano’s chest. He cried out before attacking once more, and the monster vanished.  
“... it's weakness… is its forehead… Too… bad. I win again…” he breathed, almost dully as blood slowly soaked his jacket. He turned to the rest of the group.  
“Francis, your injuries… are you okay?” he asked. Francis nodded with wide eyes, staring at him in disbelief. “Kiku is still breathing too… Thank God. Alfred… you can still move a little… right?” Feliciano continued. Alfred’s eyes widened, standing next to Kiku.  
“What-what the hell?! Stop, please! Not again!!! This time it's Feliciano?!” he exclaimed.  
“Oh!” Kiku gasped. Feliciano fell to his knees and toppled over, the blood stain growing larger. Ludwig ran over, pulling Feliciano into his arms.  
“I… did it… I… saved… everyone! I made no mistakes…” he whispered. Ludwig’s eyes filled with tears.  
“Feliciano! Why… why didn’t you move??” he exclaimed. Feliciano smiled weakly.  
“Hehe… Your injury looks serious… but you're alive, so you'll heal. Thank God… thank God my ruse worked…” Alfred frowned in confusion.  
“Ruse?” he asked looking to Kiku. Before, them, Feliciano continued speaking.  
“Guys, you may not know this, but… this is actually the second time we came here… The first time, I wasn't useful… at all…” Ludwig’s eyes widened.  
“No! No you stay with us?? You hear me?!”  
“I could finally get you back…” Feliciano continued, as if he hadn’t heard Ludwig at all. “Thank God… But I'm sorry… now it's my turn to fall…”  
“You've got to be kidding-The second time?! That makes no sense!” Ludwig exclaimed.  
“I went back in time, you see… I managed to get out of here. But I was the only one… who got out… I didn't want that. I had to get you all out…” Feliciano said looking up to Ludwig. Francis grunted as he slowly got up.  
“You-you idiot! You didn't have to get us out! You had to get out with us!” he yelled.  
“Feliciano…” Ludwig whispered brokenly. Then Alfred winced as he walked over to them both.  
“Q-quickly… let's carry Feliciano… Isn't there anyone who can move?! what about Yao and the others? Aren't they back yet?!” he questioned. Gilbert grunted some.  
“Make… make a place where we can rest! It can be anywhere! I'll look after him! A really safe place! Someone!!” Feliciano smiled weakly and looked up to Ludwig once more.  
“Hey, Ludwig…” Ludwig’s face was distraught, trying to hold it together.  
“H-hold on… Feliciano… Oh, I know! I will make a place for you. The best best place for you to rest at ease…” he said quickly, trying to keep him talking. Feliciano’s face seemed to light up at the thought.  
“Really? Hehehe. Then, will you make lots of beds… where everyone can rest? And then I'll peacefully rest… between you and…” he took a pained breath. “Kiku…” Ludwig choked back a sob.  
“Yes…”  
“And a biiig table, too. I also want a place… where we can all cook…” Feliciano continued, a dreamy look coming over him. Ludwig nodded quickly.  
“Yes, definitely.” Feliciano then looked to Ludwig, his expression calm, but also scared.  
“Lud… wig…” he breathed softly, his words slow as his body became more and more tired.  
“Yes, Feliciano?” Ludwig asked, holding him close.  
“I… I don't… want to die here… I want to escape with all of you…” Feliciano’s words trailed off as his expression relaxed, his eyes trained on Ludwig’s face, but no longer seeing. His body was still in Ludwig’s arms. The German’s eyes widened after he realized what had happened.  
“Feliciano?” he asked, reaching to cup the Italian’s cheek. Gaining no reaction, he tried again, his voice slightly more desperate. “Feliciano?” he shook the Italian gently, and nothing happened. His movements became more erratic as he became more desperate to get anything from him, a sound, a movement, something. “Feliciano!! FELICIANO!!” he shrieked, tears spilling from his eyes. Arthur’s eyes widened.  
“No…” he whispered in shock. Gilbert grimaced as he forced himself closer to Ludwig.  
“Crap… Kiku take the others outside! West is out of control!” he said grabbing Ludwig’s shoulder. Ludwig shoved him away and looked back to Feliciano.  
“Feliciano!!! Feliciano!!! Stop screwing around!! Your eyes are open!! Feliciano!!! Feliciano!!!” he yelled desperately. Alfred’s eyes were wide as he looked to Ludwig.  
“Ludwig…” he whispered.  
“Ludwig! Calm down!!” Gilbert yelled, shaking his brother firmly. He then looked over to Francis. “Francis!! Please, gimme a hand here!!” he snapped. Francis ran over and grabbed Ludwig’s arm, pulling him away from Feliciano’s body. Ludwig struggled against both him and Gilbert, trying to get back to Feliciano.  
“Feliciano…” Francis whispered, looking away and trying to focus on holding Ludwig.  
“Ludwig!! West! Calm down!!” Gilbert yelled, trying to gain Ludwig’s attention. Arthur frowned and turned towards Kiku.  
“Kiku, let's leave. Your injuries are the worst-” he paused when he saw Kiku just staring at Feliciano, tears streaming down his face, yet he made no sound. “... Kiku?” It was then that Kiku seemed to notice Arthur’s presence and he looked over to the Englishman, reaching up to wipe the tears away.  
“I'm sorry…” he said softly. “it's been a very long time since I lost a friend… I don't know… how to react…” he sniffed and wiped his eyes once more. “I feel sad, but also angry and hopeless, and empty… I don't know how I should feel. But I can't stop crying…” Alfred walked over and put his hand on Kiku’s shoulder.   
“Kiku… let's leave. Besides, it would only make things worse if they saw you like that…” he said quietly. Kiku nodded after a moment.  
“Yes…” he said. Alfred led Kiku out, and the present Alfred and Kiku were suddenly transported to just outside the room. Alfred took a shaky breath and looked to Kiku.  
“... Are you okay? If you can't stand up, you can lean on my shoulder.” he offered. Kiku shook his head slowly.  
“I'm-I'm fine…” he said softly before he looked to Alfred. “What about you, Alfred? You're clenching your hand too tightly. It's bleeding…” Alfred looked down to his hand and noticed that his nails had indeed broken the skin on his palm. The American was quiet as he relaxed his hand, letting the blood sit there as he looked to the ground.  
“... This is why I didn't want to break the clock… I can't do anything to help here… What the hell… Someone always, always-” He was cut off when the Matthew from the other timeline spoke.  
“You're kidding… right? Feliciano is- Wait a moment! How could such a thing-”  
“... Those voices coming from the room- Is that Ludwig and his brother?” Ivan asked looking to the room. “I guess we'd better not go in. They were… the closest to him.” Yao clenched his fist and grimaced.  
“If only I had… gotten here sooner…” he whispered. The Alfred from the timeline shook his head.  
“No, I'm the one who made us split up!... That-What's that book in your hand?” he asked looking oddly to a book that Matthew was holding.  
“Oh, this?” Matthew asked holding up the book. “I found it in the library room. Er, actually, it seems to be a… journal…” he trailed as he looked to it. The present Kiku’s eyes widened.  
“Alfred! That book…!! Do you think that's the journal?!” The timeline Alfred frowned as he walked over.  
“That's the book that Feliciano had been using… isn't it? I thought it was a bible, though… Is that it?” he asked. Ivan walked over as well.  
“Yeah. And there's something… strange about it. It's on the first page… Here! Look at the name here.” Arthur frowned as he looked to the first page and read the name aloud.  
“Feliciano… Vargas… It doesn't mean it's the name of the journal's owner. It kind of looks like this is a… contract page. It says…” Suddenly the sound around Kiku became muffled, almost as if he had cotton stuck in his ears, and Alfred vanished from beside him. His eyes widened.  
“I feel like I'm going to be pulled back! No I have to stay just a little longer-even if it's just for a few seconds!!” he gasped before he was suddenly yanked back to the present.  
“Kiku! Alfred!” Ivan exclaimed. Kiku’s eyes widened and he stumbled, feeling incredibly dizzy.  
“We're… back?” Alfred said in disbelief. “Oh… If only we could have stayed a little longer…” Matthew frowned and walked over to the two.  
“Just sit down, please. You both look very pale.” he said worriedly.  
“... It was actually… the second world…” Kiku murmured. Arthur frowned in confusion.  
“Hm? what's the matter?” he asked. Alfred looked up to him.  
“They weren't just hypothetical… All those things I saw… were past experiences, or the future…? Wait. Then, what number is this world? How many times have we… lost our friends?” he asked, holding his head as he sat down. Matthew’s eyes widened slightly.  
“What number?... What? We?” he frowned in confusion, stepping back some. Ivan looked around to them all.  
“You mean, how many times have we come here?” he asked. Kiku stumbled and Arthur grabbed his arm.  
“H-hey, are you all right?! Just what the hell did you see?! Can you go back once more?” he asked. Alfred frowned and looked up to Arthur.  
“Can't you… do that for me? I don't feel so good, either…” he said, holding his stomach. He actually felt like he was going to vomit. Seeing Feliciano die in such a manner… Kiku shook his head.  
“I'm sorry. Even though I know he's all right, I want to see Feliciano as soon as possible…” Ivan frowned in concern.  
“You look… unsteady on your feet. Here, let me carry you.” he said lifting Kiku up. ‘I only saw a few pasts and yet I feel like I'm going to fall apart… If I don't tell them, I won't be able to stand it. I can't keep this bottled up, or I'll go insane… It's too painful…’ Kiku’s thoughts swam in his head as his body relaxed, not having to hold himself up. The group then left the room, Arthur helping Alfred along, the worry plastered all over his face. Kiku frowned slightly as he thought. ‘I have to talk to Feliciano… maybe some of his memory has returned, maybe… maybe I can talk to him about what I saw.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm sorry it's been a bit since I've updated, I've been really swamped with work and getting ready to start school again! I'll try to be more consistent, I promise, but please be patient if my schedule doesn't work with me!
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying so far!!


	14. To Ally as One

The group made their way back to the safe room, armed with new information and another clock broken. Once they entered, Kiku walked over to Feliciano, who was sitting in a chair. “We’re back, Feliciano.” he said sitting down next to the Italian. Feliciano perked up and he smiled.  
“Oh, you're back. Hello, er… Kiku!” Kiku smiled in relief.  
“Feliciano… Thank God… You seem to be doing a little better. As does your memory.” Feliciano nodded slightly.  
“Yeah. Sorry for all the trouble.” he said sheepishly. “I still don't remember everything, but… things are falling into place. I talked a lot with my brother… so I've started to remember things little by little.” Yao walked out of the kitchen and he smiled when he saw everybody.  
“Oh, you're back! The food will be ready in a moment, so you can sit down and wait.” he said with a grin. Kiku smiled and he nodded.  
“Thank you.” he said to Yao before he turned back to Feliciano. “Feliciano, do you have a moment?” he asked. Feliciano looked slightly confused, but he nodded.  
“Yeah, sure.” Kiku stood up and led him to some of the chairs in the corner of the large room. He then sat and gestured for Feliciano to do the same.  
“You see, I have been holding on to a letter addressed to you. Read it out loud, please.” he said handing over a sheet of paper to Feliciano.  
“For me?” he asked in confusion, taking the paper. Kiku nodded.  
“Yes. Do you remember what happened in this mansion?” he asked. Feliciano frowned and he nodded quietly after a moment of silence.  
“... Yeah, about half of it, I guess. But I'm still a little scared…” he said softly.  
“All the more reason for you to read it. I haven't read it myself, but I'm sure you'll find it helpful.” Kiku said softly. Feliciano looked to the words and his eyes widened slightly.  
“... It's my… handwriting… ‘To the me who lives at some point in time… and who isn't alone…’" he started, taking a breath before he continued. “‘Once again, I made some mistakes, and also some progress. Meanwhile, I finally, but slowly, began to learn; to rely on my friends. I was constantly afraid that everyone would blame me for dragging them into this, and that they would hate me, or be appalled at me, or get mad at me, and leave me… But then I was told that I had the wrong idea. They were very mad at me. It hurt so much. Not that they hit me, but it really hurt. I finally figured it out, but I can't pass this memory on to my next self. Unfortunately, I'll lose my life yet again. That's why I'm writing a letter. Say thanks to Arthur. And tell them the truth. I'm sure they'll get mad, but it's not that they hate you or think you're a pain. Why didn't you rely on your friends sooner? What are friends for? That's what they told me, and that's what they're going to tell you, too. I'm sure I'll cry. And then… and then…’” he stopped, his hands trembling. Kiku reached over and placed his hand on top of Feliciano’s.  
“Feliciano.” he said quietly. The Italian looked up to him.  
“What?” he asked.  
“I've been thinking all this time, wondering what we're going to do now… What do you want to do?” Kiku asked. Feliciano bit his lip in thought.  
“Er… investigate someplace, or…” Kiku shook his head, the action causing Feliciano to trail off on his own thought.  
“No, no, I meant once we get out of here. I've talked about this with Ivan, about how we should have a party at my house or something like that.” Feliciano perked up at the idea.  
“At your house? That sounds like fun!” he said with a smile. Kiku nodded and smiled as well.  
“I also have to work till late, so everyone should arrive late at night. I'm sure we'd all be tired, so I think we should sleep soon afterwards on that day. I have a kitchen garden. I could get up earlier than usual the following morning and go there to pick vegetables.” he said, prattling off on the things that they would do. He barely noticed when Alfred walked up to them.  
“Hey! That's a nice idea! I'll try to get up early and help you, too!” he grinned. Kiku looked up to him and he smiled.  
“Huhu, thank you. When we come back from the garden, we will make breakfast.” he said. Yao heard their conversation and he walked over, happy to join in.  
“That's my cue! Alfred can wake up those who are still sleeping!” he said with a wide grin. Kiku nodded.  
“Yes. And then… well… maybe we could all go out somewhere?” Gilbert grinned, popping up from behind Alfred and putting an elbow on his shoulder.  
“Let's go to the-watcha call it-the amusement park or something!” he said happily. Francis chuckled as he walked up to the group, having overheard the ideas.  
“Well, I suppose I can refrain from hitting on everyone at least for that occasion.” he said winking. Kiku chuckled.  
“I'm sure a day or two won't be enough. Oh, yes, we could go shopping.” he offered. Arthur smiled, stepping over and linking his arm with Alfred’s.  
“Yes! I suppose I'll take a look at the suits!” he said. Alfred smiled and he nodded, kissing Arthur’s forehead. Ivan chuckled lightly and stood behind Kiku.  
“I want some clothes to wear while I'm at Kiku's place. What was it called, again? Yukata? Let's all buy one!” Kiku smiled at the idea, incredibly pleased with everything.  
“I can hardly wait. And when we go back to my house, we'll all have a banquet.” Matthew smiled warmly as he took Gilbert’s hand.  
“With lots of food from all over the world! Let's see, what should I make…?” he hummed in thought, hoping to contribute something good.  
“Um, well, I'll… make… pasta and pizza…” Feliciano smiled as he looked around to everyone. Ludwig then walked up, putting his hand on Feliciano’s shoulder.  
“I'll contribute with beer and wurst.” he said. Antonio grinned as he jumped up, thinking of something to tie everything together.  
“And then we can all sleep together in a huddle!” he cheered. Kiku nodded and he smiled.  
“Then I'll lay out the futons in the other room. You can go to sleep whenever you like.” he said.  
“Sounds interesting.” Lovino said with a nod. “Hmm… what should we bring as a gift? Maybe we should send it beforehand, don't you think, Feliciano?” he asked looking to Feliciano. He nodded happily and smiled brightly.  
“Yeah! We'll bring the best ingredients-lots of them!” he grinned happily. Ludwig chuckled.  
“I’ll bring the beer.” he said. Kiku smiled and he nodded.  
“It'll be fun. Really fun. That's why, Feliciano…” he trailed looking to the Italian in front of him with a warm smile.  
“Yeah?” Feliciano asked.  
“That's why we all have to escape. With everyone who is here, without losing a single person.” Kiku said gently, but seriously. He didn’t want Feliciano thinking he was alone in this endeavor. Feliciano was quiet for a moment, nodding as he looked around at everyone in front of him, all his friends.  
“Yeah, yeah…”

‘I'm sure I'll cry. And then… and then… Look around yourself.’

“Ah, that's right. I…” ‘I have many… friends. This close to me all this time…’ Feliciano looked down to his lap, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. Kiku frowned worriedly.  
“Feliciano? Why are you looking down? Do you still feel unwell?” he asked. Feliciano shook his head, wiping his eyes just to be sure.  
“No. I'm fine. There's something I… want to tell you-!” he was cut off when the sound of a ringtone filled the air. Antonio’s eyes widened and he grabbed his phone, looking to it before he gasped.  
“Aaaargh!! Damn it!! What are we going to do, Lovino??” he questioned. Lovino raised his eyebrows and looked to him.  
“Wh-what the hell are you going one about?” he asked. Antonio bit his lip.  
“I forgot to tell Roderich and the others that we found Feli…” Lovino looked to him with a dead stare and Antonio shrunk under it. Francis looked over in confusion.  
“Is he coming, too?” he asked before his eyes widened. “Wait ‘the others’? You mean…” Lovino looked to him and nodded.  
“Almost everyone who came to the world meeting.” he said. Antonio nodded.  
“Lovino threw a fit back there. He was really desperate to save his little brother, you know. I'd never seen Lovino being that honest before!” Lovino glared at Antonio.  
“Shut the fuck up, bastardo!! What's wrong with swallowing my pride to save my little brother?!” Gilbert grinned.  
“Yeah! You're right.” he said. Feliciano looked to Lovino and he smiled gently.  
“Lovino… thank you.” he said softly. Lovino looked to him and bit his lip, walking over and hugging Feliciano.  
“I just want you to come back… I don't want you to go through that again.” he murmured softly, only wanting Feliciano to hear.  
“Since we fixed the time quite a bit, our phones also work at least a little, right?” Ivan piped up. Yao nodded and sighed.  
“Good timing! I'm sure we'll be able to hear their angry voices even from here.” he said waving his hand. Alfred grinned and laughed.  
“All right! We'll all watch Antonio get an earful of it!” he said gleefully. Antonio winced as the ringing continued.  
“Oh God. Lovino, can't you answer it instead?” he asked, giving the older Italian puppy eyes. Lovino looked to him and sighed.  
“Just answer it.” he said. Antonio pouted and nodded before he answered it.  
“H-hey, long time no see.” he said sheepishly. The voice on the other end of the line sounded incredibly annoyed.  
“Yes. Long time.”  
“H-how are you?” Antonio asked.  
“I'm fine, thank you.” Roderich replied curtly.  
“Well, um… I'm really sorry. I forgot to call you I was with Lovino and… er… um…” he was cut off when Roderich sighed in exasperation.  
“Yes, yes. There are a mountain of things I want to say to you. Or a lot more than a mountain, actually. When Lovino didn't contact us, I was worried sick, you fool!” he snapped. Antonio’s eyes widened slightly.  
“Huh? Lovi?” Lovino rolled his eyes.  
“Idiot.” Roderich sighed and then continued speaking.  
“Feliciano, you can hear me, can't you? Come down for a bit. Look outside from the window.” he said. Feliciano perked up and stood up.  
“What? Oh-okay.” he said quietly. Matthew looked up.  
“Wait, don't go by yourself! Let's all go together.” he said. Feliciano nodded and headed towards the door. Arthur stopped him.  
“Hold on. Don't walk in the front. You're being targeted, aren't you? Come behind me.” he said, leading the way out. Gilbert nodded and followed them.  
“Yeah. Let's go quickly, or else he won't stop bitching. Then again, I don't think he'll be able to see us very well with those bars, anyway.” he said. They left the room and made their way to the closest window, barred off from the rest of the world. When they got there, Antonio let Roderich know, and the Austrian continued to speak through the phone, this time to Feliciano.  
“Feliciano. I've heard of what you've done to some extent. Not very laudable, was it?” he asked. Feliciano frowned and he lowered his head.  
“I-I'm sorry… But I-just-!”  
“You're far from being a fool! You're an outright idiot!” Roderich snapped. “Do you have any idea how worried Lovino was?!” he questioned. Ludwig frowned and wrapped an arm protectively around Feliciano.  
“Hey, you don't have to go that far-!”  
“Nooo! Keep talking!” Gilbert chuckled, cutting Ludwig off. He then looked out the window and grinned. “Hey, Feli! Take a look outside!” Feliciano slowly stepped towards the window, berating himself for causing all of this before he looked out and his eyes widened.  
“Oh!” he gasped. Everyone… everyone was down there, all looking up to the window. Arthur then laughed softly.  
“Amazing. We really have to get out all together.” he said.  
“I…” Feliciano whispered, shell shocked by all of this.  
“Yes?” Kiku asked.  
“I'm all un-alone.” Feliciano said simply. Roderich nodded firmly from the ground below.  
“Indeed! You should broaden your horizons! Also, you should come home soon. The cakes are getting cold! First you have to come out safe and sound. We're also doing everything we can here. It's rather uncanny, everyone agreeing so much with one another.” He muttered the end of his speech and Yao laughed.  
“It's a unity warming.” he said. Alfred grinned.  
“Haha! It's true. We can never get anything done together when we have a meeting, and yet now we've started working together.” Antonio nodded happily.  
“Well, of course! Even though we fight and don't get along… we're all fellow nations.” Matthew nodded and he smiled.  
“You’re right.” he said.  
“Yeah…” Feliciano said softly. ‘I still haven't got some of my memories back. Still, I can already… answer their most important questions.’ he looked up, having decided what to do. “Guys, sorry for making you wait.” he said to everyone around him. Lovino looked to him.  
“Feliciano?” he asked.  
“I'll tell you everything. Everything I remember.” Feliciano said firmly. Ludwig took his hand and squeezed it gently.  
“Are you sure?” he asked. Feliciano nodded.  
“I'll tell you everything from the very beginning, so this could take a while. Still, I want you to listen.” Yao smiled in relief.  
“It's about time! Go ahead and tell us already, and don't hold anything back!” Gilbert grinned.  
“I've been waiting to hear that, Feliciano!”  
“Please, do tell. We want to know the extent of it.” Kiku said, urging him on. Feliciano nodded and took a breath.  
“Thank you. Let's see… It all began shortly before the world meeting.” he looked around, and seeing everyone still listening, he continued. “I happened to overhear some rumours… and that's when the clock hands began to move…” Seeing as he wasn’t needed in this discussion, Roderich spoke to Antonio through the phone once more.  
“Well, then, I'll go back for now. If anything comes up, call me.” he said.  
“Okay, be careful.” Antonio said.  
“Well, now… er, well… Where should I start? What do you want to hear?” Feliciano asked looking to everyone. There was silence before Kiku spoke up.  
“Well, um… this isn't the first time we… came here, is it?” he asked. Ivan perked up.  
“Ah, I was also wondering about that. Alfred said that we've gone through this several times…” he said.  
“...Yeah. We've gone through this several times, ever since we came here from the world meeting.” Feliciano nodded in confirmation. Alfred nodded.  
“I knew it… So, what happened the very first time?” he asked uncertainly.  
“How this started. Okay. Before the world meeting, I sneaked away from Ludwig's training and arrived at an unknown city somewhere. When I was there, I happened to hear rumours about this place. I thought it sounded interesting, and I told Alfred about it.” Alfred nodded slightly  
“Yeah, no difference so far.” he said. Feliciano nodded and continued.  
“Yeah. Oh, but… the very first time, I came here with the nine of you.” Lovino then spoke up.  
“Which is everyone except me and Antonio. This really is the first time we both are here.” Feliciano was quiet before he spoke again.  
“We were just going to have fun. We were going to go home soon. We opened the door and came in, but… as you know there was that monster inside. We all ran in different directions and I got lost from everyone, and I was so scared I had no idea what happened. I wanted to find someone as quickly as possible… After walking around a lot, I found Kiku. I was really happy, but… he had just been beaten by the enemy. Until then, I had completely forgotten that Kiku had come along. There was a gap, as if something had been erased…” he swallowed hard and spoke again. “While I was thinking that there was something wrong with my memory… Yao, Ivan, Francis… Alfred, Matthew, and Arthur were killed one by one… By the time I'd finally be able to escape, Gilbert and L-Ludwig were also killed, and I was the only one still alive.” he said softly, his body trembling as he relived the memory. Ludwig hugged him tightly and Francis was the first one to speak up afterwards.  
“You were… alone…”  
“I was supposed to get out, but I felt so hopeless.” Feliciano whispered. “I just wandered around without knowing what to do, and before I knew it, I was in the library. That's when I found this book.” he said holding up the small book he had been carrying around in his jacket pocket.  
“That's the Bible you've been carrying all along isn't it?” Yao asked.  
“Yeah, it kind of looks like a Bible, but this is actually a journal. When I opened it, it had the name of it's previous owner written on it.”  
“It reads "Ryuuzu no Ku", right?” Kiku asked. Feliciano nodded and continued his retelling, his voice shaky.  
“Everyone had died right before my eyes, and I was all alone. By then, I wasn't really thinking straight anymore. That's where my memories get a little fuzzy. I was going to throw this book away, too. But… that monster found me, and I unconsciously ran away with the book still in my hands, and at last… I got out. I was alone…” He could remember that clear as day, he could even still feel the cold rain as it hit his skin.

*************************************************************************

Feliciano ran out of the mansion, throwing the doors open as he did so and he ran straight into the cold rain, the sky dark above him. As he got further, he slowly stopped, blinking in shock. “I got out…” he whispered. He walked down the path that was there and his eyes filled with tears, the salty water sliding down his cheeks as he got more and more angry with himself.  
“I'm the only one who survived, the only one who got out… I shouldn't have been able to get out… what the hell?” he reached up, grabbing his hair as the blood soaking his clothes slowly dripped onto the ground. “This doesn't make any sense. Out of everyone, I'm the only one left? What the hell? What the hell?!” he exclaimed. Then the monster ran out of the mansion, putting up a chase as Feliciano ran away from it. Suddenly he stopped and turned around when he reached the gate at the edge of the property. He held up the journal in front of him. “Stop! I won, right? You couldn't catch me; you lost!” he screamed at the creature. Tears streamed down his face as he screamed at the monster, the beast having stopped to just look at him.  
“The moment I get out of here, you'll lose! There's nothing you can do from that distance! When I get out of here, this place won't be the same as before, you know! As a nation, I will destroy this place! Doesn't that make you frustrated? Huh? I'm your last trophy, after all. You lost to a guy whose only redeeming feature is his fast feet…” His shoulders shook as he sobbed openly now, the blood getting onto the journal as he screamed.  
“... back… Take us back! You can take us back in this warped space, can't you? If you do that, why don't you eat me first? If you can catch me, that is…” He gripped the book tightly, lightening illuminating the air around him as he screamed once more.  
“GO BACK!!!”

*************************************************************************

“The next thing I knew, I was back in the world meeting hall.” Feliciano said softly. “I had the journal in my hand… and I knew I'd gone back in time. And then I became the owner of this journal. The proof that I turned into Ryuuzu is that it was written on the previous journal that he was the only one who could go back in time.” Yao frowned slightly as he put it together.  
“So, you made a pact with it. It made time go back so that it could eat you…”  
“The second time, I didn't want to come back here, and I tried to stop Alfred.” Feliciano said frowning quietly. “But it was too late; you were already headed here… In the end, no matter how many times I go back in time, I can't go back before I told Alfred about this house. The nine of us always come here. Even if groups change. Always. So that's what the memories of coming here with different people are all about. We kept coming here in various patterns. That's right. But in the second time loop, I couldn't save Arthur, Yao, or Alfred, and I survived again.”  
“What?!” Kiku gasped. Feliciano bit his lip  
“So, once again…”  
“Stop, stop!” Alfred cut him off, shaking his head. “Hold on. In the second time loop, er… I did survive, didn't I?” he asked. Feliciano looked up to him in confusion.  
“What?” he asked. Kiku nodded, remembering what he and Alfred saw when they were thrown into the timeline.  
“Yes, it is just as Alfred said. It is difficult for me to say it, but… Feliciano, you were the only one who… In that room right behind you.” he said softly. Feliciano’s eyes widened and he frowned in confusion.  
“I'm the only one who died? What? That's impossible…”  
“Maybe you're just confused due to going through that too many times?” Arthur suggested. Feliciano shook his head.  
“The second time wasn't the same as the first time, but I still remember it perfectly. Besides, if I died, who made time go back?”  
“Ah, yes, Feliciano is the only one who can go back in time. That wouldn't fit… or would it?” Ivan asked. Kiku frowned.  
“But we saw it when we broke that clock! Even Feliciano said in all certainly that it was the second time.” Feliciano frowned, even more confused now.  
“I did? There were definitely several past times I opened up to you like I just did now, but the… second time… Where was that clock?” he asked looking to Kiku and Alfred.  
“Remember there was a box in that cell? The clock was in that box. Along with that letter for you.” Alfred said. Feliciano’s eyes widened.  
“There was something inside that box?!” he exclaimed.  
“It looks like I'm the one who sealed it. It was my past self who sealed it, to be exact.” Arthur said. Antonio frowned.  
“Ita, maybe you haven't got all of your memories back yet? And that's why you remember things differently?” he suggested. Matthew nodded.  
“Yeah, we can't expect you to remember everything all of a sudden. But we get the gist of it!”  
“To sum it up, we died the first time around, and Feliciano went back in time right? And Feliciano is the only one who can keep going back until all of us can get out.” Francis said. Kiku frowned at that conclusion. ‘No, I'm sure I saw a past in which Feliciano lost his life. If that past is real, then who on Earth went back in time?’ Feliciano looked over to Kiku and frowned worriedly.  
“Kiku? You’re frowning…”  
“Feliciano, how do you go back in time?” Kiku asked. Feliciano bit his lip.  
“Er, well, there's a clock somewhere in this house. A really huge one. All I have to do is rewind it.”  
“Is that big clock in a different place each time?” Kiku asked, looking to him. Feliciano then nodded quietly.  
“Yeah, that's right. The first time around, it moved so that I could escape, but whenever someone fell, I would go after it and it would be in a different place. Sadly, it's the one sure way to escape.”  
“You mean… for everyone… right?” Kiku asked slowly, giving Feliciano a look. “Surely you're including yourself in that?” Feliciano looked down to the ground.  
“Oh… er… well…” he trailed off. Kiku looked to him seriously.  
“... Feliciano, do you remember the question I asked you earlier?” Feliciano frowned in confusion.  
“Question?” he asked. Kiku nodded.  
“I asked you if you were… hurt somewhere.” he said. The Italian nodded, remembering the conversation now.  
“Oh. Yeah, I remember.” he said, unsure as to why Kiku was bringing that up now.  
“I'll rephrase my question, Feliciano.” Kiku said seriously.  
“O-okay…” Feliciano said softly, biting his lip some in nervousness. Kiku then gave a warm smile and offered his hand to his friend.  
“Is there somewhere you want to be?” he asked simply. Feliciano blinked, looking up as his eyes watered some.  
“Kiku…”  
“Please answer, Feliciano.” Kiku said softly. Feliciano looked down and he blinked back tears before he spoke.  
“I… All this time, I wanted to be with you guys…” he said quietly, hesitantly. “All of me hurt, but I couldn't stop trying, and yet I couldn't find a way to make it stop, either. But maybe I can tell you now?” he then shook his head, no, it was more than that. “Actually, I wanted to be with you, too. I wanted to escape with all of you…”  
“Yes, so do I.” Kiku said with a firm nod. Feliciano sniffed and looked up, tears slipping down his cheeks.  
“Hey! Kiku, you made him cry!” Gilbert said suddenly. Ludwig sighed.  
“Gilbert, this is a serious conversation.” he said.  
“Anyway!” Alfred grinned down to Feliciano. “We'll all live and escape together! The last time you had to rely on that clock was literally the last time! Okay?” he reassured with a smile. Arthur nodded in agreement.  
“Yes, no objections.” he said. Lovino frowned quietly, his thoughts swimming in his head. ‘There sure are a lot of things that still don't fit, though. Goddamnit, I can't figure it out with the memories I got…’ he chewed on his lip as he thought, and was brought out of them by Antonio taking his hand.  
“Don't think too much about it, my love.” he said softly, looking to Lovino seriously. His eyes widened slightly at being caught, but he nodded. “Just think that the red stains on your clothes were only just tomato juice. It couldn't have been anything else.” Antonio continued, trying to help him. Lovino sighed, his shoulders slumping as he gave in, honestly not wanting to stress too much about it either.  
“...Fine. I'll ask them later. For now, I guess it's enough that we figured out this much. Besides, they're a little less troubled now.” he said looking to the group.  
“Good~” Antonio smiled and kissed his cheek, bringing a flush to Lovino’s face. Suddenly Kiku spoke up, looking down the hallway past everyone.  
“Well, everyone, it looks like our discussion will have to end here. We have a visitor.” he said gravely as he took out his katana. Everyone looked to see the creature at the end of the hallway.  
“What the hell is that thing?!” Antonio exclaimed.  
“Hey-stop screaming in my ear!” Lovino snapped. Then Antonio turned and he saw another monster come down the other side of the hallway.  
“There’s another one?!!” he exclaimed, his face white with terror. Francis gestured over to Antonio.  
“See, now that's a natural reaction. I suppose we've been through this so many times that we've got unconsciously used to it.” he said. Gilbert rolled his eyes.  
“That's how it is when you see it for the first time! Stop worrying about it and fight!” he yelled before he pulled out his sword.  
“Everyone, take your weapons.” Kiku said standing off against the first monster. “We shall definitely do away with them.” He said as he, Francis, Ivan, Gilbert, and Matthew attacked the first creature, and the others attacked the second.  
“Why in the hell are there two of them?!” Yao questioned as he pulled out his wok and brought it crashing down on the second creature’s head. Ludwig grunted as he was hit and he pulled out his pistol, shooting at the creature a few times.  
“This house is in eternal time hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were many creatures like this.” he growled, shooting again.  
“That definitely wouldn’t be a surprise.” Alfred laughed lightly, firing off his own gun. Arthur grunted as he shot a few spells at the beast. “You okay?” he asked, knowing how the spells had affected him before.  
“I’m fine, my powers are getting stronger.” he said as he fired another spell at it.  
“These are definitely stronger!” Kiku grunted, slashing down at the beast.  
“Go for the head if you can!” Feliciano exclaimed as he helped with the attack. Ivan nodded and he jumped forward, bringing his pipe down on the creature’s head. He fell back as it vanished.  
“Alright, now let’s take down the other one!” Gilbert grinned, going to help the second group. Matthew nodded and eagerly followed.  
“What can I do??” Antonio asked.  
“Attack, you idiot! Any way you can!” Lovino snapped as he helped with the attacks. The creature certainly wasn’t going to go down without a fight, as it attacked again and again, blow after blow, knocking them down before finally Yao yelled and leapt up, bashing the creature on the forehead. It vanished and Yao fell, panting heavily on the ground.  
“God… fuck that was hard.” Lovino huffed as he stood up. Ivan nodded in agreement.  
“Definitely one of our harder fights.” Kiku sighed as he put his katana away.  
“Well, now, let's go back. We're all tired. Let's go to the safe room, treat our wounds, and call it a day.” he said.  
“That sounds like a good idea!” Yao nodded as he got up. The group picked themselves up and headed back to the safe room. Ludwig took hold of Feliciano’s hand as they walked.  
“Are you okay?” he asked gently. Feliciano nodded, squeezing his hand.  
“Yes, I’m okay, a lot better than I was before.” he said softly. Ludwig nodded and he leaned to kiss his temple. Feliciano smiled with a soft blush and continued with him to the safe room. Once inside, the group gathered around the large table. “I'm sorry. I guess I lost more memories than I thought.” Feliciano said softly. Kiku shook his head.  
“No, that was good enough. The rest is our job.” he said simply. Arthur frowned worriedly and crossed his arms over his chest.  
“Still… don't you feel kind of weird to think that you could die?” he asked. Francis frowned as he thought about it.  
“As if we were the same as humans, you mean? Maybe we exist as humans in this place…” he said, sitting down at the table. Yao nodded slightly.  
“You're right. My body doesn't carry the weight of my nation… Even though I don't look any different…” he said frowning in confusion. Feliciano hugged himself tightly, trembling slightly.  
“I wonder if I'll forget again? I don't want that...I don't want to forget our newly found bond.” he said softly. Ludwig frowned and hugged him tightly.  
“We’ll make sure you don’t forget.” he said softly. Antonio frowned as he looked around.  
“Yeah. Isn't there anything we can do here?” he asked.  
“Oh!” Alfred perked up as he thought of something. “I know!” Matthew looked over in surprise.  
“What are you talking about?” he asked.  
“Let's form an alliance!” Alfred grinned happily. “A testimony of our new bond, without any relation to the Allies or the Axis or even the neutral nations, but to all of us who are here!” Gilbert nodded with a grin.  
“Ooh, sounds interesting. I approve.” he said happily as well. Kiku smiled and he nodded.  
“I am of the same opinion as Alfred. Let's do it. Did we form an alliance before?” Feliciano shook his head and he smiled softly.  
“No, not as far as I know… I approve, too.” he said.  
“I won't except objections! After all that trouble, we should write it down in a document! Erm… we can keep it simple!” Alfred grinned. Ludwig thought for a moment and then he spoke up.  
“Hmm. Well, first of all… believe in one another. Help one another. Rely on one another. also escape all together. That's all!” he said nodding firmly. Antonio nodded and he smiled.  
“I like it; it's easy to understand. Alliance among nations like this is pretty interesting!” Alfred nodded and he found a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote down what Ludwig had said before and he finished it quickly.  
“There! Now we just have to sign it.”  
“Oh, c-can you wait a moment, please?” Ivan asked frowning.  
“What is it?” Yao asked. Ivan shook his head.  
“Sorry, I'm really going to put a wet blanket on it, but we're nations, and we're arbitrarily going to form an alliance with so many nations… It doesn't feel right.” Arthur raised an eyebrow.  
“But our signatures will only be valid inside this house, right?”  
“Yeah, that's the problem, forming an alliance here. I mean, we don't know who might get their hands on it. We'll leave it in a strange place where God-knows-who might see it…” Ivan said crossing his arms. Ludwig frowned as he nodded.  
“I see… You have a point. Even if we exist as humans now, it doesn't change the fact that we are nations.” Feliciano looked to his lap with a sad frown.  
“So, we really can't make an alliance…” he said softly.  
“I-I'm sorry. I'd want to form an alliance, too, if I could! But we have to think of the nations we bear on our shoulders…” Ivan sighed, sitting down at the table. Francis stepped forward and spoke, almost hesitantly.  
“If… if possible, I also want to form an alliance, and stay like this…” There was silence after he spoke, and then Kiku lifted his head as a thought crossed his mind.  
“To be human, even if only in this place…” he said softly.  
“Kiku?” Feliciano asked.  
“I have an idea. Let's form an alliance, not as nations, but as humans!” Kiku said suddenly. Gilbert raised an eyebrow.  
“As humans? What do you mean?” he asked.  
“We chose human names long before we came here, just for ease of communication if nothing else, but we’ve always signed official documents with our country names.” Kiku said. Matthew perked up.  
“I see! If anyone else sees it, they won't understand it, because it's not signed with nation names!” Lovino nodded slowly.  
“That seems like it would work.” he said smiling lightly. “What do you think, Feliciano?” his younger brother nodded happily.  
“Yeah, I approve! If we do that, we can all form an alliance!” Alfred grinned happily.  
“Alright! I’ll sign first, Alfred F. Jones!” he said as he happily scrawled out his name. Matthew smiled as he stepped up, signing second.  
“Matthew Williams.” he said as he wrote.  
“Wang Yao!” Yao grinned as he wrote it down. Gilbert grinned and he stepped over, writing his name in bold letters.  
“Gilbert Beilschmidt!”  
“Francis Bonnefoy.” Francis said as he wrote his name in cursive for extra flare.  
“Ivan Braginsky.” Ivan smiled, writing his name down happily. It had been quite a while since he’d been able to use his full name.  
“Antonio Fernandez Carrido. Oh, there isn't enough space…” Antonio pouted, trying to squeeze it all in there. Arthur smiled as he walked up.  
“Arthur Kirkland.” Ludwig stepped up and wrote his name under Gilbert’s.  
“Ludwig Beilschmidt.” he chuckled sheepishly. “This is kind of awkward.” he said as he stepped aside for Feliciano and Lovino to sign.  
“Lovino Vargas.” Lovino said simply as he wrote his name.  
“Feliciano Vargas!~” Feliciano smiled gleefully as he wrote his name down. Kiku smiled and he stepped up last.  
“Honda Kiku.” he said signing his name. Alfred grinned.  
“All right, everyone signed! That makes this vow absolute! Right, Kiku?” he asked. Kiku smiled and he nodded.  
“Indeed! We must all abide by it.” he said. Matthew smiled and he nodded.  
“With this, even after we get out of this house, we can still continue to be bound to this alliance as humans.” he said. Gilbert nodded and he smiled brightly before he winced, holding his stomach.  
“Shit, my stomach hurts.” he said quietly. Ludwig frowned.  
“Gilbert, what’s wrong?” he asked. Gilbert looked up to him.  
“Hm? Oh… nothing. I'll go take a bath. I guess I'm a little tired.” he said sheepishly as he walked to the bathroom. Once inside, he leaned against the door, holding his chest. “...What the hell? My heart shouldn't be beating this fast…! Am I going to… die? God dammit!” he hit the wall and grimaced at the slight pain in his knuckles. “Well, fuck it! As if I'd let myself die! I still have to protect my people… and my brother!” Suddenly there was knocking on the door.  
“Gilbert, are you alright?” Kiku asked from behind the door. Gilbert sighed softly.  
“Yes, I’m alright, just give me a minute.” he said.  
“Okay, we’re setting up beds now, since there aren’t enough for everyone, we’ve decided to just sleep on a futon on the floor.” he said.  
“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” Gilbert said before he went to strip down before climbing into a tub. There was another soft knock and Gilbert looked up. “Yes?” he asked, slightly annoyed that he was being interrupted again. The door opened and he looked out from behind the divider, surprised to see Matthew standing there, a flush on his cheeks. “Birdie?” he asked, confused as to why he was in here.  
“I-I thought you could use some company.” he said softly as he walked over. Gilbert’s cheeks flushed some, but he nodded.  
“I could.” he said sitting back in the tub. Matthew smiled and he shed the jacket he was wearing as Gilbert filled the tub with water. Layers fell to the floor and soon Matthew stood before Gilbert, completely bare. The Prussian smirked and he relaxed, now understanding the Canadian’s intentions. “Aren’t you going to join me?” he asked holding his arms out. Matthew nodded and he slowly climbed into the tub, humming as the heat of the water touched his cool skin. He sank down and Gilbert moved forward, pressing his lips to Matthew’s slowly. He was rewarded with a low groan from the normally shy nation and the kiss was returned. Matthew climbed into Gilbert’s lap and wrapped his arms around his neck, pressing his body to Gilbert’s. The albino smirked into the kiss and reached up, running his fingers through Matthew’s hair, feeling the soft locks slide over his fingers.  
“Mm~” Matthew gasped softly, his body shuddering as goosebumps raised on his skin. “It’s been a while.” he breathed, his cheeks flushed and his member already hard. Gilbert let out a low chuckle and he moved forward, pressing his lips to Matthew’s neck, reaching down to grasp both of them. Matthew shuddered and moaned, tilting his head back as he rocked his hips, earning a chuckle from Gilbert.  
“Sensitive?~” he asked. Matthew flushed and bit his lip.  
“W-well, you’re really good with your ha-ah~” he gasped as Gilbert sucked on his neck, running his free hand along Matthew’s spine, relishing in the way Matthew’s back arched. “Please~” he breathed, pressing himself closer to Gilbert’s body. The albino smirked and he lifted his hand up.  
“Why don’t you get these ready~” he purred. Matthew eagerly took Gilbert’s fingers into his mouth and sucked, running his tongue along and in between the fingers to get them thoroughly lubricated. Gilbert then moved Matthew so his ass was above the water before he reached down, circling his finger teasingly around his entrance. Matthew pressed against the finger and he bit his lip, his cheeks a deep red.  
“T-tease~” he moaned. Gilbert chuckled and he pressed a finger into him slowly, earning a louder whine from his sweet Canadian.  
“Be quiet my love~ only I get to hear those sounds~” Gilbert said in a low and husky voice. His finger moved slowly in Matthew, working him up eagerly. Matthew buried his face in Gilbert’s shoulder, holding back his sounds as Gilbert slipped in a second finger, stretching him out. Matthew’s sounds were angelic to his ears after so much horror happening over the past few days. He felt like he hadn’t heard them in ages. He entered Matthew smoothly, and a wave of pleasure came over him. His hands roamed Matthew’s body as the Canadian moved on him, gasping in pleasure. Gilbert’s lips were like fire on his skin, he could feel every movement, and it was amazing.  
“Please… move more~” Matthew breathed, a whine lacing his voice. “God I need this~” he shuddered when Gilbert chuckled in response, and then his hips bucked up, hitting deep inside him and he very nearly yelped, clapping his hand over his mouth as the Prussian bucked up into him. This was intoxicating, the feeling he had missed. His head was a blank, his only thoughts trained on his beloved and the feeling of him fucking up into him. The water sloshed around them and onto the floor as Matthew moved faster, feeling a tight and molton knot coiling in his gut. Fuck he was close… his moans came out as whines for more, more, and Gilbert was very much willing to give. His lips found Matthew’s neck once more and the Canadian cried out softly, his body jerking as he came, shooting cum over their chests. As he did so, he tightened around Gilbert, and the Prussian found himself cumming soon after. Matthew slumped against his chest and panted softly, holding onto him. Gilbert smiled and he rubbed Matthew’s back gently.  
“Did you enjoy that?” he asked, trying to catch his breath. Matthew nodded with a warm smile up at him. “That’s good.” he said softly, reaching to cup Matthew’s cheek, dipping his head to kiss the Canadian gently. The kiss was returned with gentle and loving affection.  
“We should return, they’ll begin to wonder.” Matthew said with flushed cheeks. Gilbert pouted.  
“Aww, I was hoping to have more fun~” he grinned, earning a soft chuckle.  
“We both need rest, especially after that.” Matthew chided softly, kissing his nose. Gilbert sighed, but he smiled.  
“Alright, you head out, I’ll come out in a minute.” he said rubbing Matthew’s back. The Canadian smiled as he lifted himself up, gasping softly as he did so. He felt oddly empty without Gilbert inside him, then again he always had that feeling after they had sex. He enjoyed the connection. “Don’t give me that look, birdie.” Gilbert said softly, reaching to caress his cheek. “I’ll be holding you in just a minute.” he said. Matthew nodded and nuzzled his palm before he got out of the tub. He reached to dry himself off with one of the towels and he dressed himself before he left. Gilbert waited a moment before he got out of the tub and he dried himself out. His body was exhausted, but dear God he needed that release. He dressed himself and left the bathroom, hoping to relax for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I love sex scenes, and another steamy scene has been long overdue! I certainly hope you all enjoy it!  
> I do apologize for the longer wait time in between chapters, my mental health has been staggering some and it's harder to write when I want to, but I'm trying to work on it, and I'm hoping to get more chapters out to you all!


	15. Realizations

“Haha, it's like a training camp.” Kiku chuckled as he went to lay down in the futon they had arranged. Alfred laughed and he grinned, getting comfortable.  
“Beds are nice, but sleeping on the floor in a futon is fun, too! It's a little cramped, though.” he said shifting to get more comfortable. Antonio sighed happily, snuggling to Lovino.  
“I can't wait for our party. Why, there are so many things I want to do that I think I'll forget some of them. I'll have to write them down.” he said happily. Lovino chuckled lightly.  
“Yeah, there are a lot of things that have been planned.” he then looked over to where Feliciano and Ludwig were laying. “Hey, Feliciano, we'll really have to send food to Kiku's house before-He fell asleep.” he sighed and shook his head. Ludwig chuckled lightly and rubbed the younger Italian’s back. Francis smiled at that.   
“He must be tired. He's finally got some relief. Let him sleep.” he said. Gilbert frowned in confusion, rubbing Matthew’s arm.  
“Was he awake even when I was keeping watch?” he asked. Ludwig sighed slightly.  
“Probably. It must have been necessary in order to survive. Come to think of it, even when Kiku and I woke up…”  
“He was awake.” Kiku finished. “To think that he was aware of that monster because he had known from the very beginning…” he shook his head with a frown. Matthew frowned in thought.  
“He occasionally appeared to be reading the Bible-I mean, journal! Do you think he's written about everything he's gone through so far?” he asked. Ivan nodded slowly.  
“Maybe. Maybe he'll let us read it now?” he asked. Arthur sighed.  
“We could ask him tomorrow.” he said. “Alright, enough chatting for today. I’m going to sleep.” he said as he laid against Alfred, trying to relax himself.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Italy… Feliciano.”  
“Ita… Feliciano? Who's that, again? Huh? Me?” Feliciano was standing in white nothingness, and then a field of flowers appeared around him. He looked around in confusion, and then the voice spoke again, almost as if it was in his head.  
“Are you all right? Are you suffering?” the voice asked. Feliciano frowned in confusion.  
“I… know that voice. Who it it?” he asked, turning around as if trying to find the source of the voice.  
“...You can still go on, right?” the voice asked. Suddenly Feliciano’s eyes widened in recognition as a figure appeared before him.  
“That voice… I'm sure I…!! W-wait! You're-!”

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Feliciano!”   
Feliciano gasped, his eyes opening suddenly to see Ludwig looking down at him worriedly. “Are you alright? You were having a nightmare.” he said gently, holding Feliciano lovingly and protectively. Feliciano blinked slowly.  
“... Me?” he asked. Ludwig’s eyes widened slightly.  
“Feliciano? Have you lost your memories again?” he asked quickly. Feliciano shook his head after a moment.  
“... oh. N-no… I'm… fine, Mr. Germany.” Ludwig frowned, his stomach twisting up as he loosened his hold on Feliciano.  
“You…” he trailed, almost broken hearted. This time Feliciano didn’t even remember the name he had given himself. Feliciano bit his lip slightly.  
“I'm most defenceless… when I sleep…” he said softly. “My memories slowly… slip away… I tried not to fall asleep… I'm sorry.” Ludwig shook his head.  
“No, you have to sleep. It's okay to forget. It can't be good to have only memories of the events in this house…” he said gently. He didn’t want to worry Feliciano.  
“But I-I mean, Mr. Germany-I mean…” he held his head as his memories swam back into his head. “Ahaha, what am I saying? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I've got it all sorted out now, Ludwig.” he said. Ludwig frowned, worried still.  
“I… I see.” he said. Feliciano nodded and he got up.  
“I'll go wash my face. You can go back to sleep Ludwig… It was your voice that I heard in my dream, wasn't it?” he asked looking to Ludwig curiously. Ludwig then frowned slightly in confusion.  
“I don't really get it, but if you're alright, I'm going to sleep. If anything comes up, wake me up.” he said gently. “Please, liebling.” he added. He wanted Feliciano to trust him enough to come to him. Feliciano was quiet for a moment before he nodded.  
“I promise.” he said softly. He then walked over to the bathroom and went to open the door, but paused when he heard a voice from the inside.  
“See? Just as I said, wasn't it?” Feliciano stopped and listened for a minute. “Yeah, but he literally woke up. Anyway, [he] will work for [us] until [he] dies. You do know that we have no such… service as a compromise, right?” Feliciano’s eyebrows then furrowed in confusion.  
“What?” he asked to himself before he opened the door. He was surprised to see Ivan standing there. The tall Russian turned to look at him in surprised.  
“Feliciano!”  
“I-Ivan.” Feliciano said in return, standing by the doorway. Ivan then smiled to him.  
“How unusual of you to eavesdrop! Oh, but you're all sweaty. Did you come here to wash your face?” he asked. Feliciano bit his lip.  
“But I didn't hear anything at all… Who were you talking to?” he asked. “You said some disturbing things-!”  
“It's none of your business who I talk to on the phone, is it?” Ivan cut him off, a smile still on his face. “I'd appreciate it if you could leave me alone.” Feliciano frowned quietly.  
“Do you have something to hide?” he asked hesitantly. Ivan tilted his head some.  
“You did, too, remember? You never told us anything.” he said, with the hint of a chill in his voice.  
“B-but-!”  
“I'm free to decide how I deal with my chess pieces. Oh, but… it doesn't seem to be very useful. I have to find the next piece quickly…” Ivan said as he went to leave the bathroom.  
“Ivan!” Feliciano said, trying to stop him. He did stop, but he was silent for a moment.  
“...Go wash your face already.” he said before he left the bathroom. Feliciano frowned quietly and slowly walked to the sink. What could Ivan have been talking about…

*************************************************************************

When everyone awoke in the morning, they all gathered around the table in the safe room. “Well, then, now we can contact the outside world, so we also need someone to stay here. Something like a control tower.” Kiku said looking around to everyone. Ludwig nodded seriously.  
“Incidentally, it seems that the monster also goes outside, so those out there are in for a hard fight, as well. Roderich has informed us that they have dispersed and will take care of it all at once. The whole world is gathered here. In other words… we are united with the whole world right now.” he looked around, seeing everyone’s varying levels of shock.  
“What should we do?” Yao asked after a moment.  
“I want to search for the metal pieces.” Feliciano spoke up. “I hid one somewhere on the 2nd floor. Let's search for it and go to the 4th floor.” Alfred perked up.  
“Oh! I remember that one. It's the one that you hid, right? I saw it when we broke the clock.” he grinned. Arthur turned to him with wide eyes.  
“What the hell? You should have told us yesterday!” he exclaimed. Alfred then frowned and his voice lowered as he got more serious.  
“...It'd have been dangerous if I'd told you yesterday. I won't say who to, though.” he said. Francis frowned worriedly.  
“You mean one of us was going to die? In that case, who can go get the metal piece?” he asked. Antonio stood up and he smiled.  
“I'll go, then. If you tell me where it is, I'll go get it alone.” he said triumphantly. Lovino stood as well.  
“I'll go, too. What are the chances that the thing is going to appear?” he asked looking to Feliciano. Feliciano chewed on his bottom lip before speaking.  
“One hundred percent.” he said. Lovino blinked before he smirked.  
“Heh, bring it on. Never underestimate the country of the Mafia.” he said proudly. Antonio chuckled and he smiled. He was always proud of Lovino. Feliciano stood as well.  
“I'm coming with you. If possible, we should go in few numbers.” he said. Ludwig frowned and he stood up.  
“Do you mind if one more goes?” he asked, though it wasn’t exactly a request. He had been worried about his love for days, and he wanted to make sure that Feliciano was alright. “I'm coming with you. It's not far from here, and I'll request reinforcements if anything comes up. And I'd be grateful if they came running to us right away.” Ivan hummed in thought.  
“So… five will be too much. Alright. We'll be ready to leave right away. Gilbert, can you get in touch with those outside?” he asked looking to Gilbert. He nodded firmly in response.  
“Okay. Arthur, Mattie, you'll help me.” he said.  
“The place is the room opposite to the fireplace room. It's suppose to be well hidden under the carpet.” Alfred said standing up. Feliciano nodded.  
“We’re off!” he said. He, Ludwig, Lovino, and Antonio left the room and went searching for the metal piece. They went to the room that was across from the fireplace room and searched. Soon, Antonio triumphantly held up the piece of metal from under the carpet. Feliciano frowned. “I hid it here… I don't remember that at all.” he said quietly. Then Lovino perked up.  
“Oh!! Hey Feliciano, where's the monster going to come from?” he asked. Feliciano looked over to him.  
“Oh, er…” he trailed as he thought before the monster dropped down from above, landing in front of them. Antonio yelped and Ludwig pulled out his pistol from his belt. Antonio pulled a sword from his belt, and the two went to fight the monster.   
“Fuck it’s even bigger than last time!” Antonio exclaimed as he fought the beast.   
“That doesn’t mean it’ll beat us.” Ludwig growled as he shot at it, causing it to stumble back before it took a swing at Antonio, sending him flying back and hitting the wall.  
“Antonio!” Lovino exclaimed before he glared at the beast and he ran forward, pulling out two pistols from his belt and shooting at it. Ludwig started hitting it hard with his fists to try and get it back. Feliciano ran up to help them before he grabbed one of Ludwig’s pistols and he rammed the butt of it into the forehead and it vanished. Feliciano dropped to the ground once it did so and he panted softly before picking himself up. Lovino ran over to Antonio and helped him to his feet. Ludwig panted softly and looked to Feliciano.  
“You…” he trailed. Antonio winced as Lovino held him up.  
“I thought it was going to come from the door, not from above…” he said holding his head. Feliciano bit his lip and looked to his feet.  
“Sorry, he'll drop from above.” he said softly. Lovino glared daggers at Feliciano.  
“Now it's too late!! You should have said it before it appeared, you bastard!” he snapped. “Anyway, let's go to the 4th floor, quickly.” He grumbled as he led Antonio to the fourth floor. Feliciano looked up at that.  
“I said I was sorry! Oh, don't go ahead on your own! It's dangerous!” he said quickly. Ludwig rubbed his back before he led him after them.

*************************************************************************

“Well, now we’re going to wait until we’re contacted.” Kiku sighed as he looked around the safe room. He made his way over to the kitchen where Arthur was standing. He hesitated when he saw Arthur at the stove, but he continued. “Arthur?” he asked. After getting no response, he lightly tapped the Englishman on the shoulder. He jumped and turned around to face Kiku.  
“Huh? Oh, hello Kiku. I wasn't really paying attention, sorry about that.” he smiled as he looked to the pan he was holding. Whatever he was cooking was smoking. “Just wait, I'm almost done here.” he said triumphantly. Kiku nodded stiffly, the smoke bringing tears to his eyes. Arthur then looked over and he raised an eyebrow. “What the hell, you're in tears. You don't have to be that overjoyed!” Kiku nodded.  
“I’m sorry.” he apologized and wiped his eyes. Then Arthur sighed and he looked down. He wished he could do more for everyone. He felt so useless.   
“...I'm sorry. When I get all of my magic back, I'll be able to be a little more useful.” he said. Kiku tilted his head some in confusion.  
“What will happen exactly when you get all of your mag-erm, strength back?” he asked.  
“I’ll turn into an angel.” Arthur said simply.  
“...Is that so.” Kiku said quietly before excusing himself. He walked over to the two stands where they had placed their agreement to an alliance. He saw more paper there and he looked them over. “Sing karaoke together. Shop for yukata. Saucepans. Amusement park. Bucket pudding. Harvest. Bring instruments and play a concert together. …? What is this?” he asked looking to Alfred, who was writing more things down on another sheet of paper.  
“Oh, that's our to-do list! We wrote down the things we want to do when we go home! Why don't you write something, too!” Alfred grinned. Kiku nodded and he smiled.  
“I see. Then I'll write one thing, as well.” he said before he wrote an idea down, mumbling the name as he did so. “‘Sudden death pillow fight’.” Alfred seemed confused.  
“What the heck is that?” he asked. Kiku chuckled in response.  
“It's a routine game that can make us all get along really well. I'm very good at it. Look forward to it.” he said simply. Alfred grinned.  
“I will!” he said happily. Kiku nodded and walked off. He found himself going towards Ivan. The Russian was sitting at the large table.   
“Hello, Ivan.” he said. Ivan looked up to him.  
“Hello, Kiku. Have you heard anything?” he asked. Kiku shook his head.   
“Nothing yet.” he said. “Have you talked to anyone on the outside? Your sisters, perhaps?” Ivan nodded and he smiled.  
“Yeah, I talked to Natalia on the phone. She was surprisingly calm. It looks like she has made new friends. She sounded a little happy.” he said with a warm smile. Kiku smiled.  
“That’s good.” he said. He knew that Ivan wanted his sisters to be happy, and Natalia was one that seemed to depend entirely on Ivan, and he was glad that she had found some independence. He made his way over to Francis, Matthew, and Gilbert. The Canadian seemed to be having a discussion with Francis.   
“We can’t make contact with the outside world. I guess time hasn’t been completely fixed. We need to keep breaking the clocks.” he said frowning slightly in thought. Francis tilted his head some.   
“We do get reception once in awhile, but it's bad right now. I was talking to them until some time ago.” he said. Gilbert grinned, wrapping his arm around Matthew’s waist.  
“It’s bad now, yeah, but we’ll get out, all of us.” he said. Kiku smiled as he walked past them and then his phone went off. He looked down to his pocket in surprise and pulled his phone out.  
“Oh, a call from Feliciano. maybe the reception has got better?” he wondered aloud to himself before answering. “Yes, Kiku speaking.”  
“Oh, that was fast, Kiku! Listen, I want you to bring us some food. There's a weird creature on the fourth floor, you see, and we're going to try luring it with food.” Kiku blinked slightly in confusion.   
“Huh? I don't really… understand, but all I have to do is bring you some food, right? We're on our way.” he said.   
“Thanks!” Feliciano chirped. Kiku smiled lightly at that.  
“You sound really happy.” he said.  
“Oh… Well, yeah, I mean it looks like we're going to get out for real very soon. It's like a dream! I'm so happy, like you wouldn't believe!” Feliciano said, his voice sounding happier than it had in a long time.  
“Is that so?! That's a surprise. I thought we would be here a lot longer-!”  
“I was surprised, too…” Feliciano said cutting Kiku off with a thought. “It's been such a long, long time… Er, so… we're all going to get out together, aren't we, Kiku?”  
“Yes, certainly! Well, now, first I'll bring you the food.” Kiku said smiling lightly.  
“Since it's a weird creature, it might eat weird things. Ludwig was saying that maybe you should bring unusual food.”  
“All right. I'll take a quick look in the kitchen. We'll be there immediately.” Kiku said before he hung up. He then wandered over to the kitchen and looked around. “Cabbage and potatoes. Tomatoes, too. But these are too ordinary, so I'll leave them here.” He looked around a bit more and he picked up some blueberries, figuring they might work. He then looked around some more and his eyes fell upon the scone that Arthur had made. He swallowed hard and picked it up. “Okay, let’s try this…”   
“What’s going on?” Arthur asked as he poked his head into the kitchen.   
“Feliciano called, they found a weird creature, and they’re trying to lure it out with food, so I figured I’ll take some to them, and I wanted to bring everyone so no one will be left behind.” Arthur nodded and he smiled.   
“I’ll round everyone up.” he said before he left to tell everyone.

Once everyone was gathered, Kiku led the group to find Feliciano and the others. It didn’t take them long before they arrived in the room on the fourth floor with the strange creature in the wall. Kiku walked inside and smiled when he saw them near the creature. “Sorry it took us so long to come.” he said. Ludwig shook his head.  
“No, we've also been through a lot. I'm rather thankful that we're all gathered.” he said. Lovino saw the food in Kiku’s hands and he raised his eyebrow.  
“Wow, you sure brought a lot. We just needed something to tempt it with.” he said with a light chuckle. Feliciano perked up.  
“And we also found a clock. We hadn't broken the one in this room yet. We weren't sure we should… I think you already know this, but we're going to get out very soon. There's no need to see memories of the past anymore… And Roderich and the others are taking care of things outside.” he said. Ludwig frowned, crossing his arms over his chest with a perplexed expression on his face. Alfred raised an eyebrow.  
“Ludwig? What’s the matter?” he asked. Ludwig shook his head.  
"Nothing, I was just wondering…” he sighed and looked up to everyone, “why don't I see any memories from the past? Isn't that odd? I'm the only one…” Feliciano bit his bottom lip lightly.  
“Oh, right, I've always wondered about that, too… What universe was it…?” he frowned as he thought. “You see, Alfred said that the memories were just forgotten but they hadn't disappeared. So, you should still have them, Ludwig.” Lovino frowned.  
“Maybe they’re being passed on?” he suggested. Gilbert looked over to him.  
“Passed on?” he asked.  
“What I mean is,” Lovino started, looking over to Gilbert, “maybe Potato Head is the same as Feliciano? Some of his memories were passed on to me and we shared them. Because we're very close. In Potato Head's case, maybe all of his memories are being passed to… someone?” he shrugged, unsure of how to complete his argument. Feliciano frowned.  
“But then… who on Earth could that be? Gilbert?” he asked looking over to the Prussian. He spluttered in response, looking bewildered.  
“M-me?! But I haven't got any of West's memories!” Arthur sighed.  
“Nah, you're a little different…” he said. Francis hummed in thought and looked up as he spoke.  
“Someone so close to Ludwig… that his memories are being passed on to them… All of his memories, at that…”  
“...Or someone who matches his wavelength an awful lot…” Antonio offered. Ludwig frowned.  
“They have all my memories? But… someone like that-I-don't-!”  
“Feliciano?” Lovino asked, seeing the look on his brother’s face. The others looked over to him, the younger Italian’s face looking both confused and scared.  
“Could it be…? No… it can't be…” he mumbled. It couldn’t be true… there was no way… Francis frowned when he realized what he could be thinking.  
“Feliciano…” Feliciano looked up.  
“That-!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally another chapter out! I'm sorry for the long time between updates, trying to balance school, work, and personal projects is incredibly hard... but I hope you all enjoy the update!


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